


Don't Let One Bad Apple Spoil Your Whole Arc

by baloobird



Series: Ace Irondad and Spiderson [17]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Ace Spidey Suit, Action/Adventure, Age of Ultron Doesn't Exist, Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Wreck-It Ralph, And it's very ace, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anti Steve Rogers, Anti-Starker, Asexual Character, Asexual Peter Parker, Asexual Tony Stark, Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Bullying, Choking, Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Avengers, Drunkenness, Electrocution, Father-Son Relationship, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph (Movies), Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, No Infinity War or Endgame, Not Canon Compliant, Not Steve Friendly, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Platonic Slow Burn, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is a Good Dad, Wreck-It Ralph - Freeform, but it's not bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24738793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baloobird/pseuds/baloobird
Summary: The Avengersis the most popular game at Litwak's Arcade in almost a decade, so popular that the manufacturer created a sequel titledThe Avengers: Civil War.The sequel ends with Steve Rogers and the rest of the Avengers picking up the pieces, leaving them no choice but to move on.While Iron Man was left as nothing short of a traitor for turning on his former comrades, alone in his office as he received the news that Director Fury has taken him off ofThe Avengers Initiative.-For the past few years, this has been Tony Stark's reality: playing the role of a hero-turned-villain in an arcade game. Once upon a time, he was praised and cheered but now there are more curses and sounds of disgust than ever before.And honestly, he's getting pretty sick of it.(Or, the Wreck-It Ralph AU that no one on this earth asked for)
Relationships: Delmar & Peter Parker, Delmar & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds/Peter Parker (background), Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team, Tony Stark & Vision
Series: Ace Irondad and Spiderson [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1750639
Comments: 150
Kudos: 265
Collections: Iron Man





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Omg omg omg, I'm so freaking excited to share this with you, I really REALLY hope you like it, this is about all I've been doing for the past week or so lol! 💜💜
> 
> You don't have to have seen Wreck-It Ralph to understand this story, I explained everything as best as I can but if you have any questions, please let me know!!! (Also, more will be explained in the coming chapters).
> 
> ***Trigger Warning***: Alcohol use and getting drunk but it's nothing graphic.

_ The Avengers. _

The most popular game at Litwak’s Arcade in almost a decade.

A game where players fight alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes to take down the God of Mischief, Loki, and his army. It is up to the player to help restore Earth, retrieve the Tesseract, and stop an alien invasion.

Kids and adults alike  _ love _ this game, how could they not? Between picking out their costume, choosing their superpower, and unlocking weaponry as the story progresses, it makes the players feel unstoppable, like they could actually be in New York City if they play their imagination just right.

Which is why a couple of years ago, the manufacturer of this success had created an update, a  _ sequel _ of sorts.

_ The Avengers: Civil War. _

The Avengers, a once tight unit, are at odds over the Sokovia Accords. While Iron Man doesn’t fully agree with the Accords itself, he believes in order, rules, discipline. With regulations, the heroes could be stronger than ever before. 

However, Captain America doesn’t want their powers and strength to be limited to signatures on a document. If people need help and assistance, why wait for the okay and further risk individuals’ lives when they can leave  _ now _ and complete the mission before dinnertime? 

This disagreement leads to a battle, a fateful one where Iron Man gets the boot. He is seen as a traitor, to the shock of his former comrades and heartbreak of his fans. His own best friend, War Machine, the only other hero to stick by him, suffered paralysis in both of his legs, putting insult to injury that Tony Stark is not to be trusted.

The game ends with Steve Rogers and the rest of the Avengers picking up the pieces, leaving them no choice but to move on.

While their former confidante is left alone in his office, having just received the news that Director Fury had taken him off  _ The Avengers Initiative. _

Iron Man is no more.

The other side had won.

This sequel garnered a lot of fan outcry. While still a hit, the players had mixed feelings unlike with the first installment; fans of Iron Man felt betrayed not only towards the hero himself but the company that made this happen. Fans of Thor, Hulk, and Loki are especially pissed because they’re not even in this story aside from a few cameos as a form of “Easter Eggs.”

Even some Captain America fans are upset at how the story progressed. While yes, their favorite Avenger won but at what cost? 

Was having him win worth absolutely butchering another beloved character?

As of now, the arcade game is set up to where a player can start from the very beginning and play both installments - costing extra quarters, of course - or they can pick and choose which story to play.

For fans of Iron Man, Thor, or Loki, they typically only play the first game since the second one makes them so mad that they ignore canon and pretend the sequel never existed.

Most of the time, Captain America fans will either play both installments or choose the sequel, because who doesn’t want to see their favorite superhero win?

Much to Tony’s chagrin.

The man hates the update as much as his fans do, more so even since he has to play the fucking part. He remembers the day when it was installed, when everyone woke up reprogrammed with the continuation.

He destroyed every inch of his office when the arcade closed that day. Not a document lay flat, no furniture piece wasn’t overturned, Rhodey couldn’t even calm the guy down. Tony simply left it in a pigsty, getting so drunk at  _ Tapper _ that he forgot his own name and knowing that come the next “quarter alert”, the room will be reset and good as new.

Over time, Tony has learned to deal with it, “roll with the punches” as some people say. Being Iron Man is his job, his job that has no change or end in sight…so no point in fighting it.

He is a traitor, a term he deems worse than just a cartoony villain like Loki; people like him  _ because _ he’s a bad guy, that’s part of his charm.

But fans looked up to Iron Man, fans loved Iron Man for the hero he is.

_ Was. _

And that sudden change of direction ruined him. Some fans stuck by him but some turned on him too.

Just like what he did to the Avengers.

Tony has also learned to tune out any comments the players say, although the viewer screen does most of that for him. The only time he can hear words that aren’t jumbled is if the players are especially close to the partition.

And when the sequel is playing, most of those words aren’t exactly good.

So there Tony sits in his office at Stark Tower long after the arcade closed for the day. He is leaning back in his leather chair, fancy red tie now loosened and just hanging around his untucked white dress shirt, a pen in hand while a chicken-scratch written pad of paper rests on his thighs.

He knows he can’t change the storyline. If he went into the wiring - and  _ man, _ has he been tempted - and changed a few things around, he can’t risk accidentally ruining the game itself. Because if the game breaks, it could get unplugged.

And everyone’s lives, both heroes and civilians alike, will die right with the game.

Even if everyone managed to escape the game before the unplug, where would they go? Hundreds of people can’t just make camp in the “In-Between Station” for the rest of time.

So Tony keeps the mechanics where it’s supposed to be, to his dismay. He has now taken another approach.

He hopes the others are on board.

Because he doesn’t know how much longer he can take this shit.

-

“Hey guys, I wanna talk to you about something.”

Tony, now clad in jeans and a T-shirt, drops that paper pad on the coffee table as he sits on a corner of the L-shaped living room couch, knowing all too well that this is where most of the heroes hang out after the arcade closes. 

The gang looks up from what they were doing, whether it be watching TV, reading, etcetera, and turn to the billionaire, all sporting both curious and confused faces.

Unexpectedly, the former hero starts to feel uneasy. These people are expecting to hear some speech equivalent to Gospel and he doesn’t know if his idea will even fly.

“Um, yeah,” Tony starts, “Anyway, uh -”

“We’re waiting with bated breath over here, Stark,” Clint says from the opposite side of the “L”, already losing interest as he mutes the TV.

“I’m getting to it,” Iron Man says, shooting the fellow Avenger a glare as he picks up his notepad, “So…are you guys getting bored?”

“Of what?” Natasha asks from her seat next to the archer, raising an eyebrow as she mindlessly sharpens one of her spears.

“Y’know, the game. Are you guys getting bored of the game?”

Bruce looks over from his spot next to Tony, shock evident on his face, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Why would we be bored?” Clint asks, now fully attentive, “It’s literally our job -”

“But everyone gets bored at their job,” the billionaire says, “Even if they like what they’re doing, they still get bored every once in a while. So,” he addresses everyone once again, “Are you guys getting bored?”

“I’m not,” Steve pipes up from his armchair next to the TV, gaze going back to his sketchbook and seemingly already done with this conversation.

The mechanic rolls his eyes as he drops the notepad for the second time.

_ Of course “America’s Sweetheart” isn’t bored. _

“What do you mean, Tones?” Rhodey asks from another chair, this one adjacent to his friend, “Even if we are bored, it’s not like we can do anything about it.”

Tony cracks a sly smile, “But what if we can?”

Nat sighs despairingly, putting down her spear and leaning it against the arm of the sofa, “Stark, what did you do?” 

_ “Nothing. _ God, why does everyone always assume I did something?”

“‘Cuz you  _ always _ do something.” Rhodey shakes his head, a ghost of a smile forming as he says, “Stop beating around the bush and just tell us, man, what is it?”

“I know what it is,” Clint says with a victorious smirk, “You wanna change the ending, don’tcha? You don’t care if we’re getting bored, you just hate the ending.”

Gasps elicit from the others, the atmosphere suddenly tense and Tony wants nothing more than to crawl in his bed and kiss this day goodnight.

“Okay _first of all,”_ Tony says, visibly annoyed, “About eighty percent of people who play _Civil_ _War_ hate the fucking ending, so even if I _could_ change it - which I can’t - it’d be a welcome change by many.”

“Speak for yourself,” Cap says, also getting frustrated.

_ “You,” _ the genius points at his rival, “Have no say in this, Captain  _ Kiss-Ass.”  _ He takes a deep breath to still his incoming anger before he continues, “All I’m suggesting is…options.”

_ “Options?” _ Bruce asks, looking even more confused than just a few minutes ago, “What kinda options?”

“Like a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ or something?” Nat adds on.

Tony’s eyes widen in slight excitement, “Yes!” he points at the woman in question, “A ‘choose-your-own-adventure’, that’s brilliant. We could give the players options, maybe even add on an ending that’s not the one we’re currently using.”

“One to make you the hero, you mean,” Steve says, setting the sketchbook atop the end table next to him and leaning back in his chair, “You just wanna be a hero -”

“Wouldn’t you?” Tony asks, knee bouncing as more anger filters through him. He should’ve known the guy wouldn’t be in on this, “Steve, put yourself in my shoes, wouldn’t  _ you _ wanna be a hero again? After having your name raked through dog shit, wouldn’t you want to redeem yourself  _ somehow?” _

“You really wanna risk putting everyone in danger just to put  _ yourself _ on top?” 

“‘Cuz you’re already on top, right? You don’t wanna share that pedestal with  _ anyone, _ do you, you want that throne  _ alllll _ to yourself -”

“Cool it, guys, for God’s sakes,” Rhodey demands, raising his voice, “Now, from  _ my _ standpoint, I don’t think it’s the worst idea ever, it’d be good to mix it up a little bit.” 

_ That right there, ladies and gents, is my platypus. _

Natasha mutters, “Of course you agree with him -”

“Think about it, Nat,” the armored sidekick continues, “Giving players options means they spend more money, what’s the harm in that? It keeps the arcade in business and  _ us _ plugged in.”

“Tons of people are playing every day, obviously they don’t mind knowing how it ends,” Steve says, now also looking annoyed.

“Yeah, for now,” Rhodey retorts, “What about six months from now or even a few years from now? How do you know this isn’t gonna get stale someday and people are gonna quit playing?”

“Exactly,” Tony says, humming in agreeance, “We give multiple endings, it keeps things interesting -”

“It’s more shit for us to memorize,” Clint cuts in, turning to the former hero, “But why should we do this if it’s all just to make  _ you _ look good?”

“It’s not just about me, okay? We can all have an ending, one that centers around each of us. Obviously, Captain ‘Spangles’ over here is fine with what we already got -”

Said hero cuts him off this time,  _ “That _ didn’t sound petty -”

“Clint, Nat,” Tony says, pretending he didn’t hear the previous comment, “You said yourselves that you don’t think you get enough spotlight, this is your chance. You can, uh, I don’t know, center it around what happened in fucking Budapest -”

_ “We _ don’t know what happened in fucking Budapest,” Natasha says with a snicker, “It’s just programmed in us that something happened there, we don’t have a clue.” She turns to her partner, “I mean, we could make something up.”

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about this too,” the archer says, slumping into his spot, “I don’t know, Stark, I’m just getting red flags all over the place here, man.”

“Join the club,” Steve says, “But there’s still this to consider: everyone else in this game, Tony. You wanting to spice things up and make yourself look good, I didn’t think  _ you _ could even be this selfish -”

“Oh,  _ me _ be selfish?” Tony says mockingly, rage damn near radiating off of him, “Pot, meet kettle, you’re the biggest hypocrite in this whole fucking arcade -”

Cap looks up at him, his stare equally angry, “You did  _ not _ just call me that -”

Both Nat and Clint mutter, “Here we go” as they roll their eyes, the archer even turning off his hearing aids so he can watch on in peaceful silence.

Tony then says, his angered gaze still on his rival, “Can I fucking talk for five seconds without another ‘two cents’ from you? And don’t put words in my mouth, I never said anything about  _ changing, _ I can’t change anything, the update is sealed. What I am saying is: we can  _ add _ -”

“I don’t wanna risk it! All those people -”

“Is what you’re using as an excuse. You don’t want ‘America’s Sweetheart’ knocked off his _oh_ _so_ special pedestal and using your own people to keep yourself there? Again, pot, meet kettle.”

“Hey, Bruce,” Rhodey says, hoping a slight change in conversation will settle everyone down, “You haven’t said much, what do you think about all this?”

The Hulk simply gives them a defeated shrug, “I mean, change is good but I’m also a big believer in ‘don’t fix what’s not broken.’” He turns to the fellow genius, “Tony, I know _Civil_ _War_ hurt you, and I still feel awful that the company took your character in the direction that it did.” He glances at the others before turning back to him, “But even you gotta admit that we got a good thing going here, we still have a strong following, we’re constantly seeing new and returning players. I just, I don’t feel comfortable messing that up for something that might not even work.”

Tony’s heart drops to the floor. He knew his best friend would be on his side but he thought for sure that he’d have his science partner on board too, especially since the guy isn’t in the second installment but for one measly scene.

_ Maybe I can get Thor and Loki to consider. Where the fuck are they, anyway? _

Steve, like with everything, has to make himself heard, “I agree.”

“Of fucking course you do,” the billionaire mumbles, “So,” he then starts, gesturing to his notes, “All of this was a big waste of time, huh?”

“I’m sorry, Tony,” Nat says, the only redeeming quality is at least she looks genuinely sympathetic, “It’s a good idea but it’s too risky to roll the dice on it.”

_ So Steve won. Again. _

The man doesn’t even bother to ask Clint for his final thoughts since he’s no longer in tune with the conversation, just looking on and pretending to care.

_ Sometimes I wish I had hearing aids. _

_ Shit, can I make hearing aids to only block out Steve? _

“Well, that settles it,” Tony states with a hopeless sigh, grabbing his notebook as he stands up, “I need a drink.”

His best friend stands up as well and starts to follow, “Tones -”

_ “Alone, _ Rhodey, don’t wait up.”

_ “Tones.” _

Said man turns around, not expecting the firm tone, “For God’s sakes, what?”

The soldier gives his friend a slight smirk, “Don’t make me drag your ass back here now.”

Tony fondly rolls his eyes, turning back around and heading for the exit that’s just outside the back entrance of Stark Tower, “Relax, sour patch, I can hold my beer.”

-

“Tony, this’ll be your fifth beer, I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Happy, did I fucking stutter?”

Tony is now at a bar in the classic arcade game, _ Tapper, _ with Happy Hogan as the bartender.

The room itself is rather large with four long bars for customers, beer taps at one end and dark, hollow tunnels on the other, where the finished glasses go and some kind of mechanism resets them for the next game.

Most people would think that this game is also called  _ Root Beer Tapper, _ a game where root beer is served instead of the adult beverage so it doesn’t glorify alcohol use to kids.

Yet this arcade has one of the first-ever  _ Tapper _ machines that came out in the early 1980s, the one that was sponsored by  _ Budweiser _ that most people would consider a collectible in today’s world.

Thus explains why a big  _ Budweiser _ sign rests on the opposite wall, and the place is still serving beer with all the alcohol the characters can muster. 

And the only thing that keeps Tony Stark from going insane.

“Jeez, Tony,” Happy says, reluctantly sliding him another beer as he walks over to him, “You look like someone just kicked your new puppy, what’s up?”

“Eh, just more shit with Steve,” the genius responds. Now that there are several drinks in his system, he’s in the mood to vent, “I give them an idea, Steve doesn’t like it, therefore, no one likes it. Same shit, different day.”

“Since when did he become ‘president’?”

“Since the fucking sequel. He’s always been an ass but ever since the update, he acts like he can walk on water. It doesn’t help that everyone worships him as if he’s God.”

“He’s hard-headed. Even when he comes in here for a fucking beer, he’s hard-headed. But here’s the thing, boss -”

“Why do you always call me that, you’ve never worked for me -”

“You’re hard-headed too,” Happy concludes, acting as if he didn’t hear him, “And when two hard-headed people have differing opinions -”

“Who are you, my mother? You think I don’t know that, no shit we both have strong opinions, but it’s  _ his _ way or the highway. He makes it impossible to have a conversation with him let alone get anything done."

Before the bartender can respond, a familiar voice shouts from the other side of the room, “Another, Hap!”

“Coming.” In true game fashion, Happy zips to the beer tap and pours a refill before sliding it to the customer sitting at the very back bar. Tony sees the person in question is the God of Thunder himself along with Loki, both surrounded by multiple empty beer glasses.

_ Oh, they’ve been here all this time. Why didn’t I just do that? _

Both brothers take notice of the fellow Avenger and raise their glasses to him with the other man doing the same in return, drinking from their respective cups before putting it back on the counter.

Happy returns not even a second with a bus pan full of dirty beer glasses, sliding them into that mysterious tunnel to Tony’s left. The barkeep then turns back to his friend, “Look, Tony, I hate to break it to ya but you find bad apples in every game here, it’s just a way of life.”

“What ‘bad apples’ do  _ you _ have? Do you even talk to your generic customers?”

“Sometimes, and like I said, there’s a few who are assholes. You just gotta deal with it.”

“I’ve been dealing with it for ten fucking years, Hap, and I’ll probably have to keep dealing with it for another fifty, so  _ pardon me _ if I’m not all that excited.”

“Remember this, boss: no matter what shit Steve or anyone says, they can’t play the game without you. They  _ need _ you. Maybe they’ve lost sight of that and need a bit of a reminder, huh?”

Tony responds with a grunt, “They wouldn’t know a ‘reminder’ if it hit them with Cap’s obnoxious shield.”

“Eh, just keep trying, it’s not like you’re going anywhere, they’re bound to listen to you eventually.”

_ You’d be surprised. _

Another customer comes in and Tony instantly recognizes him as that chef from  _ BurgerTime, _ the red shirt, floppy white hat, and apron making it obvious. 

_ Does he have to wear that hat and apron all the time? Eh, I’ll look into it, it’s not like I got anything else to do. _

_ Or I could just ask. _

_ But what’s the fun in that? _

The guy sits just a few stools down from the hero so Tony gives him a friendly wave.

Only to see that chef’s eyes widen in horror.

Before the billionaire can question him, the cook gets out of his seat and moves to the bar where the two Norse gods reside, making Tony squeeze his half-full glass of beer so tightly that he swears he can break it.

But he just downs it instead.

After the sequel, when Iron Man revealed his “true colors”, the fans weren’t the only ones affected. Characters all over the arcade started questioning Tony, became more distrusting towards him, even though time and time again, he says just playing a part, he’s not actually a villain.

Over time, most people got over it but there’s always that select few who avoid him as if he has a chronic case of B.O.

And it makes his already shitty day  _ so _ much worse.

_ So this guy's afraid of  _ me _ but he's only a few seats down from Loki. _

_ Rat Bastard. _

“Hey, Hap?” the mechanic calls, holding up his glass when the other man looks over from the tap, “Another.”

“You really don’t need another -”

_ “I’ll _ be the judge of that.” Tony stares right at  _ BurgerTime’s _ too clean chef’s hat as he repeats,  _ “Another.” _ A smirk escapes him as he sees the guy duck his head behind his beer.

_ You always overcooked your meat patties anyway. _

Tony lost count after  _ seven _ for how many drinks he consumed but eventually, Happy cuts him off and tells him to go home.

At least the man thinks he told him to go home, but he’s way too out of it to actually understand.

The genius vaguely hears his friend ask if he needs assistance going back to his game but again, he can’t comprehend anything as he clumsily walks out of the bar and starts wobbling home.

_ Okay yeah,  _ maybe _ I drank too much. _

Tony continues stumbling but he has no idea where he’s going, his blurry vision giving him a hard time to read which game to enter, the redness of the letters all jumbled together like abstract paintings. 

He then sees a few people who look like his own civilians in New York City so he follows them, keeping one hand on the wall to steady himself but he still trips over his own two feet regardless.

Ever so slowly, he makes his way to the entrance, walking through the tunnel and out expecting to see the familiar tower, now cloaked in darkness since it’s nightfall.

Only his tower isn’t there. What is normally there now stands some building with a delicious smell of fresh-baked bread that can make the even fullest person hungry.

And with no food at the bar,  _ man, _ is Tony starving.

His mind clearly not thinking as it should, he starts wobbling over there, the sign of the place becoming clearer the closer he gets but even then, it’s not exactly twenty-twenty vision. 

_ Dumar? Dulmar? Delmer? _

A sudden wave of fatigue washes over him. He needs to get home, he thinks, but where  _ is _ home? If he’s not in his game then where the fuck is he?

He finds himself walking into a park, running into a garden bench and he’s so inebriated that he didn’t feel any pain.

_ A park bench…that could work. _

Tony plops himself onto the bench, eyes drooping as he lays as horizontal as he can get.

_ Just a short nap. I’ll be back before the place op - _

He’s fast asleep before he can finish that sentence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! I hope you enjoy this chapter 💜💜
> 
> **Trigger Warning**: Both verbal and physical bullying and vague description of a panic attack

Tony comes to with the worst hangover headache he’s ever had in his life.

Which, considering he’s technically only as old as his game, isn’t very long but it hurts like hell nonetheless.

He opens his eyes, wincing both at the bright sunlight and the soreness of his shoulder that was against the wooden bench the whole night. The man gradually sits up but makes no move to stand, leaning against the backing to let the dizziness pass. 

The hero looks side to side at this world before him, focusing on where the park ends and city begins, starting with the place that had the wonderful smell of bread.

_Delmar’s._

Tony is nothing short of confused.

Because this place is familiar…but unfamiliar at the same time.

It looks like New York City, but it’s not the same New York City where he resides. This one has no Stark Tower - at least none that he can see - but the buildings still look the same: tall, tons of windows, boring colors of gray, tan, beige, with a few shades of blue to make things “pop.”

_Did someone rip us off or something?_

He groans at hearing his stomach howl in hunger. He needs food, he needs coffee, and a two-day-long nap.

But he has to get back to his game first.

_I was drunk off my ass, I couldn’t’ve wandered that far._

With a count of three, Tony stands up. Again, he has to take a few seconds for the dizziness to course through him, using that time to stretch and pop his joints like bottle caps. He then walks in the direction opposite the sandwich place, resisting the urge to go in and eat his weight in luncheon meat.

He starts off wandering through the park but then decides to check out the city. The entrance to _The Avengers_ is by Stark Tower so maybe their entrance is next to something important to them, he thinks.

The billionaire observes as much as his hungover brain will allow: the people look the same as in his own game, the streets, posters, cars, hot dog stands…it’s fucking New York City.

Whatever game this is, they ripped off the setting straight from _The Avengers._

But why?

Tony puts all of his confusion aside once he catches sight of that hot dog stand, the scent of the unhealthy snack causing his stomach to growl once again, forming a bit of nausea from how empty it is.

He then quickly crosses the street, the only thing on his mind is the anticipation of something satisfying his hunger which hopefully leads to this hangover ending sooner rather than later.

But just as he gets to the sidewalk, the loudest noise in the world erupts, scaring him so much that dizziness clogs his vision once again and he forces himself to lean against the building nearest him, covering his hands in a futile attempt to block the noise.

The mechanic sees a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and he slowly turns to it, sighing in relief that it’s just the familiar signal for “quarter alert.”

 _Wow, I must be fucked up if I thought_ that _was too loud._

_Wait a second._

_“Quarter alert.”_

The arcade is open.

And someone is about to play this game, whatever it is.

Which means he really needs to get back to _his_ game.

However, another streak of red appears up in his peripheral vision, this time zooming past him like lightning, giving the former hero such a case of whiplash that he dry heaves on the side of the building.

Another bout of fatigue filters through him and his back slides down the building before he realizes, stretching his legs and not giving a rat’s ass that they block the sidewalk he’s on.

The alert is finally over so Tony drops his hands. He looks to his left and sees the hot dog vendor completely gone, probably to prepare for whatever role they play in this game, he thinks. With absolutely no energy to get up, he sets his sight on that same pop of red, zipping toward a huge billboard that reads, “Welcome to Queens.”

_Oh, so it is New York City, just another piece of it._

_Still a rip-off but whatever._

That red figure swings - _swings?_ \- themself onto the platform in front of that billboard, the people below screaming and cheering as the sign changes from the name of the borough to:

_The Amazing Spider-Man_

Tony releases a loud groan, resting his head against the concrete of the establishment behind him.

_Another fucking superhero game._

No wonder he’s never been here. Why visit another game about superheroes when he already lives in one?

_That explains the spider-suit getup._

_But why the red and blue?_

A giant viewer screen showing the player of a ten-year-old girl breaks off from the sky and appears behind the masked hero. It swings to the front, right when another figure appears from behind a few buildings across from the billionaire.

 _Why…in the fuck…does this_ thing _have a fishbowl for a head?_

_I don’t remember hangovers tripping me out like this._

Fishbowl dude is standing on top of some sort of drone, hovering his way to the guy on the billboard but keeps his distance, the viewer screen moving backwards so both parties are in the shot. How this guy can see when everyone else sees nothing but pixie dust swirling around his head, Tony doesn’t have a clue. 

“You tricked me for the last time, Mysterio!” Spider-Man shouts, eliciting gasps from the crowd.

_Wow, cheesy effects, much?_

“Oh, _really?”_ Fish-bowl dude, apparently called _Mysterio,_ replies, voice dripping with menace.

_Obviously the villain, ‘kay, name fits._

“You can’t trick me anymore!” the red-suited hero continues, “No one will suffer from your lies _ever_ again.”

More screams erupt from the crowd, “Get him, Spider-Man!” “You’re the best, Spider-Man!” “You’re going down, Mysterio!”

_Who wrote the script for this, a bunch of twelve-year-olds? I’m cringing from all the way over here._

With a snap of his fingers, Mysterio summons dozens upon dozens more of those drones, moving in all directions while hovering above the civilians’ heads. 

Spider-Man’s “spider eyes” widen in absolute shock. Tony can’t help but admit that the acting is pretty good here, the hero actually looks surprised.

“Why are you always so easy to trick, Spider-Man?” the villain asks mockingly, releasing a maniacal laugh that gives Iron Man goosebumps, “Perhaps you’re just,” he pauses for dramatic effect, _“Gullible?”_

“No trick of yours is ever gonna take _me_ down,” the hero says, “Especially when I have friends on my side.”

It is then that Spider-Man faces the viewer screen, giving instructions to the player that Tony vaguely deciphers.

_So, the player’s gotta web up the drones before they hit him or the civilians, then they gotta defeat Mysterio as the final boss._

_Okay, the gameplay doesn’t sound that bad, kinda similar to my game except it’s not written as a fucking novel._

The people of Queens immediately scatter, avoiding the drones’ deadly laser beams as Mysterio flies out of sight, probably where the final battle will take place should the player last that long.

Now Spider-Man is completely at the human’s control, shooting his webs at the respective targets. Most of the shots are good but the player misses some as well, the viewer screen effortlessly following their movements to keep the hero in the frame.

Tony observes these drones and what they do: they’re white robot-looking things that he can’t quite describe, similar to those projector screens one might use during a presentation. The lasers are thin and fast, willing to turn on a dime and kill anyone in its path. 

But the mechanic notices that most of these drones are shooting at…nothing. Some are shooting at buildings, posters, apartments, but not the residents who live there.

 _Maybe this is set up like_ Galaga, _it starts out easy but gets harder with each stage._

_If that’s the case, do they have to defeat Mysterio at every stage?_

His mind suddenly goes completely blank as he finds himself on the receiving end of one of those drones.

_Oh, shit._

_I should probably move._

But Tony doesn’t know how, he can’t help but stare as the robot thing inches closer and closer to him, the only explanation for why it hasn’t shot yet is the range being too far.

_Okay, if I die in a game that’s not mine, I’ll actually die, so…yeah, I should probably move._

However, the man’s energy is at absolute zero, he cannot physically get up so he does his best to crawl backwards to keep sight of that drone.

But he’s not fast enough.

He hears the clicks, sees the lens move and aim right at the has-been hero.

So Tony closes his eyes, preparing himself for…well, for what?

What happens to a character after they die?

What happens to the game they’re in? Does it get unplugged, or do they have to find a replacement?

Tony prays for the latter.

He then feels a strong grip on his right arm. The billionaire grunts at the unexpected force that’s making him stand up, with no choice but to follow. Within seconds, the drone fires, its beam drilling a hole into the building right where the man’s head was previously.

_Wow, okay yeah, don’t wanna do that again._

He feels his stomach lurch as this person gains speed, making him almost sprint to keep up. The billionaire then hears his savior finally speak, _“What the fuck,_ do you have a death wish?! Do you actually _want_ to die?” Tony is shocked by how much their voice is coated with fear but there’s an undertone of annoyance there as well.

What especially shocks him:

That voice did _not_ sound like it came from an adult.

The mechanic says between deep breaths, his already near nonexistent energy dwindling, “I was trying to _leave_ before this shit happened.”

“Yeah, taking a nap surrounded by drones, you were trying _so_ hard.” With another grunt, Tony’s rescuer spins them around a corner, making the hero steady himself with his hand brushing against nearby buildings. Honestly, the fact that he’s still standing is impressing him more than anything else.

Before he can argue, this mystery person says, slowing both of them down, “C’mon, you should be safe in here.”

The door opens and Tony is rushed inside, the smells of coffee and baked goods wafting through the air make him almost cripple at the knees from how much he craves it.

They’re in a coffee shop.

The best damn coffee shop he’s ever been in.

Okay, that’s probably the hunger talking, but it smells fucking delicious.

In a bit of a blur, Tony is ushered to a two-top table next to the front window and is plopped onto a padded chair. He can’t help but sigh in relief as he puts his head in his hands, only to wince as his stomach roars once again.

_Maybe I can take a muffin or something -_

He is snapped out of his stupor at hearing someone next to him clear their throat. The billionaire looks up to see an outstretched hand holding the baked good he was just thinking about.

_Can people read minds in this game?_

The owner of said hand says, growing shy for some reason, “I, uh, I could hear your stomach growling from all the way at the display case, so, uh,” they hold out the food item as a form of an offering, “You like banana nut?”

Instantly recognizing that voice as the one from earlier, Tony’s eyes gravitate towards the other’s face, eyebrows raised as his assumptions are correct: 

A _kid_ saved him from that drone.

“Uh,” the hero starts, his mind short-circuiting on what to say next but he manages to force out, “Yeah, thanks.” He gingerly grabs the muffin and takes a huge bite, resisting the urge to scarf it down like a barbarian. He then sees the kid sit in the chair across from him so his gaze goes to the circular dark wood table to keep the incoming awkwardness at a minimum.

Without moving his head, Tony finally gets a good look at his savior. This kid isn’t so much a kid but a teenager, a teenage boy to be exact. His hair is curling in places, a similar shade of brunette to the man’s own with equally brown eyes, and pale skin paired with an innocent baby-face that the guy _absolutely_ uses to win arguments.

An almost deadly silence surrounds the two of them, with Tony taking another bite of his muffin to fill the void. Shit, he’s even getting goosebumps from how awkward this is.

“Um,” he mumbles, waiting to swallow his bite before he continues, “Thanks for, uh, what you did back there. I owe you one.”

The boy shrugs, a half-smile forming across his face, “I’m just glad I got there in time.” He tilts his head slightly, taking in this man before him, “Are you like, okay? I know I was making fun of you earlier but you were just sitting there so uh, _are_ you okay?”

Tony grunts, a smile barely making itself known before he takes another bite of the muffin, using the item to stall while he thinks up an answer. Despite the food intake, his stomach is still grumbling, to his frustration. He then says, ignoring his body’s call for help, “I’ll be fine, I just uh…got lost.”

“Obviously,” the teen says with a minute snicker, “How’d you do that, the names are written above every entrance -”

 _“Duh,_ I wasn’t born yesterday. I just wasn’t paying attention, shit happens.”

“But why’d you stumble this far? You really didn’t recognize that you weren’t in your own game?”

“Okay, _fine,”_ Tony says, sighing exasperatedly, “I was drunk, I was drunk and I stumbled into this game and I didn’t have a clue, you happy now?” He takes another bite of the muffin while he sulks, frowning that over half of the banana-nut treat is now gone.

The teenager starts laughing fully, making the few patrons who are already present turn heads. A smile breaks out across the man’s face, the kid’s laugh unexpectedly contagious.

“In my defense,” he starts, mouth still half-full of muffin, “I had a good reason to get drunk.”

The other responds between bouts of laughter, “You’re telling a sixteen-year-old that it’s _good_ to get drunk sometimes? Boy, you must be great with parents -”

 _“Hush,”_ the hero playfully commands, throwing the muffin liner at him as he finishes the last of it, “Not my fault your game looks like mine.”

The child pushes the liner off to the side, looking at the person across from him in curiosity, “What game are you with?”

The hero’s eyes widen in astonishment, “You don’t know who I am?”

The other shyly shakes his head, slightly curling into himself, “Sorry -”

“No, no, no, don’t be sorry, it’s fine. I’m not, uh, just not used to it is all.” Tony takes a hesitant breath before he says, “I’m from _The Avengers._ I’m Iron Man.”

He tenses, briefly closing one eye as he prepares himself for the horror, skepticism, or even anger that this kid really just wasted his time saving a traitor.

But out of his other eye that he dared to keep open, he sees the teen’s own bugging out in…is that _excitement?_

“You’re Iron -” the boy starts to shout but softens once he sees the hero’s hand signaling to keep his voice down, “You’re _Iron Man?”_ he then whispers gleefully.

“Guilty as charged,” Tony says with a bit of light sarcasm, slowly relaxing at the successful confession, “But you can call me ‘Tony.’”

“That’s so cool, oh my God,” the child goes on, damn near squealing at this point. He then gives an offended look, “They did you so dirty.”

“Don’t remind me.” Not wanting to get into all of _that,_ Tony changes the subject, “So, what do you do around here?”

The boy’s eyes widen briefly before they’re back at normal size, his gaze going to that strewn muffin liner, “Uh, I’m just a, a ra-random civilian, sometimes I’m in the game, sometimes I’m not. Not, uh, not all civilians are in the game every day so we just chill. D-D-Don’t worry about any drones, they don’t come this far and even then, they, uh, they don’t shoot at anyone inside.”

_Why does he sound shady all of a sudden?_

“Thanks for the tip,” the billionaire says, choosing to ignore that weird change of mood. He winces in embarrassment at hearing his stomach growl _again._ That muffin wasn’t enough to fill him up, apparently.

“Hang on, I’ll get you something else.” The teenager is up before the other can argue, knowing damn well that he’s using the man’s hunger as an out of this conversation.

It’s then that Tony gets a good look at the cafe around him: the place has an overall vintage feel but a modern take as well with several charging stations and bookcases lining around a window on the back wall are filled with various genres instead of just old books that people would be too afraid to touch let alone read.

Dark wood tables with coordinating cushioned chairs make a nice contrast with the cream-colored walls, as do the scattered vases of bright flowers. Up front is a matching wood counter with a long, clean display case showing off all the delectable treats such as the muffin Tony just consumed. Behind that is an equally long table that holds a coffee maker, espresso machine, and a couple of blenders complete with a menu board hung on the wall above them. Off to the side near the bathrooms, one can see various armchairs with end tables, a loveseat, and a three-person sofa, all in different colors thus adding to the vintage charm.

The boy comes back less than a minute later, setting down another treat in front of Tony, this one a cheese danish. Before the man takes a bite, he asks, “Aren’t you gonna get in trouble for just taking these?”

His rescuer brushes it off, “I know the owner, she won’t mind.”

_Well, beggars can’t be choosers._

With a shrug, Tony digs in, giving the guy a grateful smile as he sits back down, “Thanks, kid. So, what’s your name -”

“I think the game’s about done,” the boy says hurriedly, eyes squinting as he looks out the window. He then gets out of his seat and sits in a chair closest to the other window to get a better view.

Curiosity getting the best of him, the billionaire follows, danish still in hand. They’re now a good distance away from the billboard - how the fuck Tony didn’t faint, he’ll never know - but if he squints his eyes like the kid, he can see the red figure swing onto the platform of that sign, its words changing to “Way to go, Spider-Man!” as the drones disappear.

“What happened?” Tony asks as he pulls up a chair, taking another bite of his food.

“He won,” the child answers, face motionless.

And is the man mistaken or did he sound…hurt, when he said that?

_Kid, it’s a fucking arcade game, relax._

The viewer screen molds back into the sky, signaling that the quarter is used and the player has left. Spider-Man takes off his mask as the civilians stop acting and they continue on with their day as if Mysterio didn’t just invade Queens with a shit ton of drones.

Spider-Man is _still_ cheering.

_A little kid did all the work for you, take it down a notch._

Tony sees the hero is also a teenager, probably around the same age as the one next to him. This kid has dark brown hair, not quite to his shoulders but long enough to rest against the back of his tan-skinned neck. 

He is the pure definition of smug.

_How can someone look this cocky while not having done much of anything?_

“How exactly did he win?” the mechanic asks.

“Well, he didn’t _exactly_ win, the player beat the first Mysterio after stage three but she probably died almost instantly in stage four.”

 _So it is like_ Galaga.

“How often do you have to beat Mysterio?”

"Every three stages. The levels get harder with the drones and with each Mysterio, he gets more and more powerful until you lose. I mean, the guy himself doesn’t get more powerful - he’s pretty much nothing without his drones, let’s be real - but the drones get harder to kill.”

“So you kill the drones and _that_ kills Mysterio?”

“Kinda? The drones are blocking him so you have to web them down before you can hit him but every time you do, more drones appear, making it harder to hit him again. Three strikes and he’s out.”

“So kinda like _Mario_ but not really.”

“Yeah, pretty much, and all it takes is one drone to hit _you_ and you lose. If you lose after beating a Mysterio, though, you still technically win but you just don’t get as many points. There’s also some bonus levels that pop in randomly to boost your score.”

“Huh,” Tony hums in thought, “How do you know so much about this?”

Again, the kid’s eyes widen briefly as he gives the hero a side glance, tensing up which does nothing but worry the older man.

_Did I touch a nerve or something?_

The child then stutters, “Uh, well, uh, living in this game, y’know? We’ve been plugged in for like three years, you’re bound to, uh, pick up on stuff.”

_Good point…doesn’t make you any less weird though._

“Uh-huh -”

“I think it’s safe to go back to your game now.” The kid faces the genius directly, “I can take you to the entrance if you want.”

“Uh, yeah,” the man responds, trying his damndest to read this guy, "Yeah that’d be great, thanks.”

_Okay, just let it go, Tony, whatever it is, it's none of your business._

He finishes the last of the danish as they head outside, the kid leading the way towards where the game took place.

Another bout of awkward silence skirts around them, neither party knowing what to say. 

And Tony biting his tongue from the dozen or so questions he has for this weirdo who saved his life.

At least he’s feeling better, the mechanic thinks, his stomach is slightly satisfied, his energy has ticked up, and he’s no longer dizzy.

It doesn’t make him any less tempted to take a nap when he gets back, however. Can he still be Iron Man while he’s sleeping? 

The two of them have barely walked a couple of blocks when the man feels himself being pushed into an alley between two unknown buildings. He spins around, already going into “fight mode” when the kid says hastily, “Stay here and _don’t move!”_

“Kid, what the fu -” the billionaire cuts himself off as he peeks his head around one of the buildings, seeing his rescuer surrounded suddenly by three other boys that are about the same age. 

One of them being Spider-Man.

Their backs are to Tony so at least the man has the advantage to eavesdrop on…whatever the fuck this is.

_Can I just get back to my fucking game already? I’ll be surprised if there’s not an “out of order” sign on the screen when I finally get there._

“So,” the now unmasked hero starts, voice sounding like there’s a sneer plastered on his face, “Didya like my performance today, _Penis?”_

_Okay, gross._

_Worst nickname ever._

His savior rolls his eyes, “The kid who _played_ you did awesomely, you should web her a medal.”

Spider-Man’s voice lowers drastically, “Cut the attitude, dickwad -”

“You can’t tell me what to do, you fucking moron. You’re Spider-Man, not the king -”

Another boy cuts him off with a shove, making the victim stagger a few steps but he keeps his balance. Said bully then says, “He _is_ the king, he’s Spider-Man, his name’s in the fucking title, and here you are practically spitting on his feet -”

“Gimme a fucking break,” the curly-haired teen snaps.

_This Spider-Man isn’t as “amazing” as what he depicts._

_Sounds like another hero I know._

His helper goes on, “The _real_ Spider-Man isn’t a king, nowhere near it. The _real_ Spider-Man would never talk down to the people he’s supposed to protect.” He looks directly at the red-suited hero and concludes, “You’re no Spider-Man.”

Tony is the epitome of confusion.

_Wait, what?_

_Real Spider-Man?_

_Is this another arc for the game or something?_

He looks on as the third bully chimes in, “He’s more Spider-Man than _you’ll_ ever be. I don’t see _you_ in the suit.”

Another look of hurt crosses the brunette’s face, similar to the one in the coffee shop.

_Okay, something happened, what the hell happened?_

_“Awww,”_ Spider-Man says mockingly, “Is Penis Parker gonna cry? Is he gonna cry like a little baby -”

Said kid cuts him off, taking another step towards him, eyes showing both pain and hatred, “At least that’s my name.”

_Wait, that’s his actual name?_

_What the hell were his parents on?_

“You’re no Spider-Man,” Tony’s savior continues, “Because _I’m_ Spider-Man, _I’m_ Peter Parker, damn it, and you know it, you were fucking there.”

_Now I’m really confused._

But it clicks all the same: the way this kid, Peter, knew how the game worked like the back of his hand, stiffened when asked about his name, or what he does around here. The hurt in his eyes at seeing the hero win…the hurt that Tony is seeing right now.

_What the hell did he do to get demoted to “civilian”?_

“Spider-Man” retorts, visibly angry now, “No one outside the screen cares about DNA. _I’m_ Peter Parker, _I’m_ the Peter Parker that matters, _I’m_ the Peter Parker that everyone cares about, not _you!”_

He shoves Peter and the poor kid tries to catch his footing but trips over the sidewalk curb, flying backwards onto the pavement.

But then there’s a swift streak of blue.

From head to toe, Peter’s whole body changes to such color, an act unlike anything Tony has ever seen. Before his brain can even begin to process, the boy’s figure disappears completely.

Only for it to reappear on the pavement half a second later, completely fine. Whatever this force is, it just saved him from a sore back.

But _what the fuck was that?_

Tony sidesteps from his hiding place, looking on in awe as his rescuer slowly sits up, obviously not in a hurry to stand since those bullies are laughing at him.

_Laughing._

This kid just fucking teleported and _this_ is the treatment he gets?

The fake Spider-Man says between bouts of vicious laughter, “You’re not Spider-Man, you’ll _never_ be Spider-man. You’re nothing but a _glitch!”_

Another streak of blue is seen, this time Peter doesn’t move and it’s just briefly shown across his chest before it disappears as if it were never there.

As if he just glitched.

_This is by far the weirdest shit I’ve ever seen. And I fight alongside a Norse God._

The laughter’s volume increases and it snaps Tony out of his stupor, rushing to those three brats and painting himself a pretty picture of this “hero” facedown on the ground next to Peter.

“Hey, assholes!” he calls out, making all of them flinch in shock.

_Good._

The billionaire crosses his arms in front of him, standing up straight to show he’s not messing around, “Alright, you’ve had your fun, now get the fuck outta here, huh? He wasn’t even bothering you.”

“He exists, _that_ bothers me,” Spider-Man says coldly, daring to step towards Tony, “Do you know who you’re talking to, _old man?”_

Iron Man rolls his eyes, catching a glimpse out of the corner of one to see Peter trying to stand up but another glitch causing him to physically shift has him on the ground again.

“Do _you_ know,” the genius says, stepping towards the brat and holding up his left arm, "Who _you’re_ talking to, you little shit?” He presses a couple of buttons on his watch and in seconds the hand transforms into a red and gold gauntlet, the colors a dead giveaway to his alter ego’s identity.

“Oh, shit.” One of the bullies’s eyes widen in fear, grabbing onto an equally shocked Spider-Man’s arm, pulling him away from the traitor, “Dude, it’s fucking _Iron Man,_ what’re you doing?! Let’s go before he kills us, man.”

_I can’t kill you while you’re in your own game, dumbass, you’d just come back to life two seconds later._

_But damn isn’t that image fantastic._

Tony mockingly waves goodbye as the three twerps take off down the sidewalk, bumping into civilians, trashcans, tripping over dog leashes and baby strollers before zipping around the corner. 

The man races towards Peter who’s still unable to get off the ground. He hears the kid’s breath teetering as panic sets in, causing more blue streaks to zoom across him and his body to shift side to side in one-inch intervals.

The mechanic hears various gasps from people nearby, all looking on in horror as they step closer to the “show” which he knows won’t do jack shit to calm this guy down.

Tony kneels beside him, softly shushing him as he finds the boy’s hand. Gratefully, Peter accepts it as a blue streak flows through one of his fingers, the man thanking this company or whoever responsible that the teen can still feel despite the glitching.

“Can you stand up?” the genius whispers. He’s not even sure the kid heard him with the way he’s looking at everyone with fearful eyes. The hero gently grabs the other’s chin and turns it toward him, smiling as they lock eyes, “It’s just me and you. Don’t worry about these other wackos, they just got nothing better to do, okay? Now, can you stand up?”

Peter nods his head, tightening his grip on the older man’s hand, “I-I-I think so.”

On the count of three, they finally get up, the child managing to stay standing, thankfully. Tony slowly walks them to his former hiding place in that alley, wanting his charge to take a breather. A middle-aged woman nearby just stares at them in horror, mouth covering her face as if she’s never seen this before.

_I mean, she probably hasn’t but damn, have some decorum._

Tony shoots her a glare, “Show’s over, you can leave now. Isn’t there a drone nearby that’s s’posed to kill you or something?”

A disgusted gasp is all he gets in return but he’s already forgotten about her as he gently leans the teenager against the wall, gripping one of his shoulders with his free hand in the hopes that comfort will still him.

“Just take deep breaths, it’ll be over soon.”

The next few minutes are spent in silence as Peter slowly gets ahold of himself, the more he settles down the less he glitches which is a good sign. 

With an exasperated groan, he slides down the wall, not unlike what the older man did while still in his hungover state. Again, Tony kneels in front of the boy, knee cracking as it rests on the tough concrete, “How you doing?” he asks with a small smile, “And be honest.”

“Kinda tired,” Peter answers, his voice sounding like what he feels, “Kinda nauseous too.” He looks up at the older man in what looks like shame, cheeks flushed with a light shade of pink, “I’m sorry -”

“Nope, none of that. How’re you supposed to know when a panic attack’s coming?”

“But I _felt_ it coming -”

“Doesn’t mean you can stop it. I don’t think I would have if I was in your shoes…actually, I know I wouldn’t’ve.”

Peter’s eyes widen briefly in sympathy, “I’m-I’m sorry you know.”

“Comes with the territory,” Tony says with a shrug, “So…how does, um, how does this glitching thing work, exactly?”

“Oh my God, I didn’t want it to pop up around you.”

“Is that why you pushed me in here?”

Peter nods his head, “That and I didn’t want you seeing me with Flash and his goons. You weren’t supposed to move.”

“That was before you turned into a hologram. Now, what the hell is a ‘flash’?”

“He’s Spider-Man…well, _I’m_ Spider-Man but now _he’s_ Spider-Man. His name is Flash Thompson, he started out as playing my school bully but a random kid civilian plays him now. Flash still does the job _too_ well.”

_Who the fuck names their kid, “Flash”?_

“I’ll say.”

“Anyway, the glitching thing happens randomly but it always acts up when I’m feeling stressed or anxious, and well, anxiety’s a bitch.”

Tony barks out a laugh, “Preaching to the choir.” He holds out his hand, “You think you can stand up or do you need another minute?”

“Nah, I’m okay.” Peter grabs the other’s hand, using the man’s weight to help himself up, “Thanks for, uh, for all that.”

“It’s the least I can do after what you did today. How’d you see me, by the way?”

“I was just walking around,” the kid starts, leading the two of them out of the alley and back towards the entrance to the game, “Then I saw some hobo just _laying_ there with a drone pointed at him and I was like ‘Wait, I don’t recognize him, I don’t think he’s from this game’, and then yeah, the rest is history.”

“Oh, I’m a hobo now?” Tony asks jokingly, releasing a good-natured chuckle.

“Yup,” the teen says with a smirk, “‘Iron Man the Hobo.’”

“Hey, I’ve been called worse.” Tony then asks, “So, Peter, is it?”

Said kid nods his head.

“Okay, so Peter, how do I put this mildly?” the mechanic says, humming in thought before he continues, “What the _fuck_ was all of that?”

Peter snorts so loud that snot comes out of his nose, quickly using the collar of his shirt to wipe it off, “Yeah, _real_ mild.”

“Kid, I’m just being nosy, you really don’t have to tell me -”

“No, it’s fine,” the teen says casually, sniffling as he lets go of his shirt, “I knew these questions were coming anyway and they’re not exactly a secret, most everyone knows.” 

Tony stays quiet as he sees the kid take a deep breath, knowing better than to interrupt what he’s preparing to say.

The boy says once he clears his throat, “When we were first plugged in, _I_ was Spider-Man. I was Spider-Man for about six months…six _amazing_ months.” A smile spreads across his face at some memory the man can’t even guess, breaking his heart at how fast it falls, “But one day I woke up and I could do the glitch thing. I have no idea why or how it happened, my powers aren’t as strong as they were. Everything changed.”

The billionaire resists the urge to wrap an arm around this poor kid. To wake up one day and have his powers damn near stripped and…being able to temporarily glitch out of existence.

_That had to have been terrifying._

“God, I was so scared,” Peter continues, confirming the other’s thoughts. His tone gets significantly quieter, “May was too but she tried not to show it.”

“May?”

“My aunt, she owns that coffee shop, Cuppa May. She wasn’t there ‘cuz she’s a part of a bonus level if the player gets that far,” the boy says casually before he goes on, keeping the same tone, “So, uh, the people of Queens,” he gestures around them, “They didn’t know what happened either…and they didn’t want me to be Spider-Man anymore.”

_“What? -”_

“I can’t blame them,” Peter says with a shrug, “If someone plays the game and sees me glitch, they’ll think the game’s broken and we’ll get unplugged. I had to give it up, I can’t leave all these people without a home, y’know?”

_Holy shit._

“So,” the boy says, “I got demoted to civilian, not even civilian since they don’t want me anywhere near the actual game. Someone else had to be Spider-Man and Flash just _jumped_ at the chance…he hasn’t left me alone about it since.”

“He’s an asshole,” Tony says coldly, “I’d like to see him try and take down the aliens in my game, it’d wipe the smirk off that brat’s face.”

“Oh my God, I’d be watching on the bleachers with popcorn.”

The former hero snickers, “So, do people still treat you alright and everything, despite, uh, what you have?”

“Yeah, everyone’s cool for the most part,” Peter says with another shrug, “I’m just glad I still have May and Ned. Without them, I’d go insane.”

“Ned?”

“Peter Parker’s best friend.” The boy smiles as his cheeks flush once again, his grin the widest Tony has seen today, _“My_ best friend. Of course, he has to pretend to be best friends with Flash’s Peter Parker, but he hates him as much as I do, probably more, to be honest. I wonder what he’s up to, he oughta be back from his bonus level by now.”

The genius really focuses on the other’s facial expression, taking notice that this kid seems happier and _giddy_ even at the mere mention of his friend.

_Something tells me there’s more going on than “just friends.”_

“And we’re here,” Peter says, slowing to a stop next to a big tunnel on the end of Queensborough Bridge. From a distance, Tony can see that sandwich place, Delmar’s, that got him into this mess in the first place. 

_I knew their tunnel would be somewhere important but how in the fuck did I miss that?_

_Also, this is nowhere near to scale, no way is this bridge right next to the city like this._

_Eh, whatever, it’s an arcade game._

Tony turns to face the kid directly, giving him a smile, “Thank you again, that was, uh, that was a good thing you did.”

“Thank _you,_ that was a good thing _you_ did. Um, I hope you can, um, come back sometime, uh, like after the arcade closes or something. I can uh, show you around and stuff.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that.” The mechanic tilts his head towards the entrance, “If you ever find yourself wandering about, come find me in mine, Lord knows I need _something_ happy over there - what?” he cuts himself off at seeing a look of heartbreak cross over the boy.

_I said something wrong again, didn’t I?_

“Um,” Peter starts, voice barely above a whisper, “I’d love to, it sounds great but I can’t…’cuz I’m a glitch.”

“Look, people are just gonna have to get over that -”

“No, Mr. Tony, I mean I physically _can’t leave the game._ Ever since I started glitching, I’ve been stuck here.” The teenager holds up a hand and walks toward the tunnel, stopping when he hits mid-air as if it’s a wall.

For curiosity’s sake, Tony looks closer at this phenomenon, eyes squinting in concentration, “That…is some fucked up shit.”

“Got that right,” Peter says defeatedly, dropping his hand, “So, uh, if _you_ still wanna come over, that’d, uh, that’d be kinda cool…if you want.” He shyly puts his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down in what the other assumes is embarrassment.

“Well, how can I say ‘no’ to that?” the billionaire says with a smile, giving him a reassuring grip on his shoulder, “I’ll see you later, kid, don’t let that Flash brat get to you, okay? He’s not worth it.”

“May tells me that all the time.” Peter rolls his eyes but a smile spreads across his face nonetheless, “Bye, Mr. Tony.”

Said man waves goodbye as he walks through the tunnel and to the “In-Between Station”, racing to get back to his own game and praying that his teammates won’t be too upset.

_Please don’t let there be an “out of order” sign, pleeeeease no “out of order” sign._

-

Good news: no “out of order” sign.

Bad news: if looks could kill, Tony would be dead seven times over.

The second he walks through the tunnel into Manhattan, Clint points his bow at the other’s chest, stopping him in his tracks, “You better thank your lucky fucking stars that no one’s played us yet, asshole, where the _fuck_ were you?”

Iron Man takes a good look at everyone who…waited right outside the tunnel this whole time.

Apparently.

Rhodey takes a step toward his friend, his face showing he’s also pissed off but he looks more worried, “I wanted to go look for you but we can’t afford to lose anyone else in case someone tries to play, y’know?” Before Tony can so much as nod in response, the colonel asks, “Now where the _hell_ have you been? If you’ve been at _Tapper_ this whole damn time -”

The armored hero cuts him off with a groan, “I haven’t been at _Tapper_ the whole time, you can ask Happy -”

“Then where were you?” Steve says, taking a step towards his rival, “You really think any of us are gonna take you seriously now after ditching us like that -”

“I was not _ditching,_ okay? Trust me, if I was actually gonna ditch, I still wouldn’t be here. And it’s not like you ever took me seriously, to begin with.”

“Cut that shit out, Stark,” Natasha says, chiming in, “Are you five, didya go have a ‘temper tantrum’ after things didn’t go your way?”

“Things?” Thor asks, turning to the previously missing hero, “What things?”

Tony sighs, just wanting someone to play already so he wouldn’t continue to be bombarded by these bozos, “Nothing, it doesn’t matter -”

“Hell yeah, it matters,” Steve snaps, “Everything matters when you wanna _change the ending.”_

_Oh my fucking God._

_I should’ve just stayed in Queens._

_I wonder if the kid knows of any open apartments._

“So you _don’t_ listen to me.” Tony feels his cheeks heat up in anger as he takes a step towards the man in question, “Did you not hear a fucking word I said yesterday? I _can’t_ change the ending, not without risking everyone in this game. Adding on options isn’t near the same as changing it -”

“How do you know _adding_ won’t risk everyone regardless? Didya ever think about _that_ or are you too busy hyperfocusing on yourself?” 

_“Ooh,_ ‘hyperfocusing’,” Tony says mockingly, “Nice word there, Mr. Webster, did the company program a dictionary in all that air you call a head?”

“Shut the fuck up, Stark -”

Loki cuts him off, his scepter pressed against Cap’s chest, “At least let the man put on his suit before -”

The familiar sound of “quarter alert” blasts through New York City and Tony sighs in relief, grateful that the sound isn’t so deafening like earlier.

_Saved by the bell, thank fuck._

The God of Mischief finishes his statement with a groan, “That.” He releases his hold on Steve as he says, “Places, everyone. Stark, we can’t exactly cover for you -”

“Relax, I got it,” the mechanic says defeatedly. He presses a couple of buttons on his watch and in seconds, the Iron Man suit engulfs him, faceplate forming over his head.

Everyone races to their positions as they see their viewer screen break off from the sky, hovering at eye level with them since in the first installment, the player is a temporary member of the Avengers.

“Smile for the ‘camera’, everybody,” Steve announces, his shield at the ready.

Tony rolls his eyes behind his faceplate.

_The beautiful thing about having a helmet:_

_I don’t have to._

-

Tony charges - practically _runs_ \- to his private floor after the arcade closes that evening, not wanting to get into more pointless arguments that will just leave him wanting to get drunk at _Tapper_ again.

He closes himself off from everyone, even Rhodey, which he feels guilty for but he’s not in the mood for another one of his friend’s lectures about something he already knows.

After finally getting to eat a full meal of actual sustenance, Tony submerges himself in his lab. Instead of working on his or Rhodey’s armor like he normally does, he finds himself drawing the Spider-Man suit he saw today.

Of course, he can’t exactly look it up and he didn’t take any pictures so he tries as best as he can from memory: the red and blue suit, the webbed design, those really cool web-shooters, how do they work?

The mechanic spends hours drawing the blueprints on his high-tech program, occasionally pushing the screen to the middle of the table to get a visual of the hologram. Then he works on the web-shooters.

He saw those black things around that Flash brat’s wrists, so that must be where that webbing is coming from. But how is it made, he thinks. Is it like…coming out of him?

_Ew, I hope not._

_Wait, how could it? Flash isn’t actually Spider-Man._

_So Flash doesn’t have those cool powers that the kid mentioned, right? Because he’s not the original Spider-Man._

_Wait, if Flash doesn’t have any powers, then how the hell is he able to_ be _Spider-Man?_

Tony feels a headache coming amongst all of these questions, giving him the signal that he should probably go to bed.

After all, he’s had one hell of a day.

_Maybe I’ll ask the kid about it tomorrow._

He stares long and hard at the drawing, his heart going out to Peter as he watches it spin, giving him the three-sixty visual.

 _Peter_ is supposed to be in this suit, not Flash, not another civilian…not anyone.

How did the glitch even happen? Was anyone else affected? If the game experienced technical difficulties, Peter wouldn’t be the only one with this disability.

Right?

Because if only one person started glitching, that would be too shady.

As if it happened _on_ _purpose._

Another thought hits him:

_Maybe I can help this kid be Spider-Man again._

Because if he helps Peter become the Spider-Man he once was.

Then Tony could finally be seen as a hero. People might actually respect him like they once did.

_That’s it. Peter will be Spider-Man again._

_If I have anything to say about it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see you next week!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, no warnings this time, I hope you enjoy!!! 💜💜💜
> 
> I hope you don't mind that I made them ace...I seized an opportunity, guys 😂

“Vision, it’s a fucking strawberry.”

“It doesn’t matter what it is, sir, you’re not allowed to take items from other games.”

The following day after the arcade closes, Tony is on his way to see Peter. He even picked up a piece of fruit from  _ Pac-Man _ \- okay, maybe he stole it but if it’s just going to respawn, is it really  _ stealing? _ \- as a bit of a “thank you” gift for saving his life.

A strawberry the size of his head isn’t near enough of a form of gratitude but maybe getting Peter back his birthright will make them at least partially even.

Except now, the holographic security guard of the “In-Between” station, Vision, is holding him up, some bullshit that they can’t bring items from other games when literally  _ everyone _ does it  _ all _ the time.

“Vis, do you have any idea how many burgers get smuggled out of  _ BurgerTime?” _ Tony asks, sporting a bored expression, “Or those coins from  _ Mario _ people use to play poker?”

“Wasn’t one time  _ you, _ sir -”

_ “Nevertheless, _ how come you’re not stopping them but you’re stopping me for something that’s probably respawned like three times by now?”

“I’m only one person, sir,” Vision drawls, looking down at his tablet, “It is impossible for me to catch everyone, I just call it as I see it.”

“Oh yeah?” The man refrains from smirking as he comes up with his lie, pretending to see something out of the corner of his eye, “Did you just see Frogger smuggling a  _ beer _ into his game or are my eyes just playing tricks on me?”

The guard’s eyes widen,  _ “What?” _ His form disappears from sight to scope out the incriminating frog and Tony uses his chance to run through the tunnel and into  _ The Amazing Spider-Man. _

_ Even though the guy who’s currently playing him isn’t all that “amazing.” _

The hero comes out the other side and takes in his now familiar surroundings, the setting sun shining upon the buildings, residents walking around Queens.

And that smell of fresh-baked bread.

Tony immediately starts off towards Delmar’s, using that familiar landmark to try and find Peter.

_ Wish we could use phones like the humans do, that’d be real helpful right now. _

Fortunately, by the time he gets there, he sees said kid inside and sitting on a barstool at the counter, talking to someone that the man assumes is an employee.

The place itself has a diner-esque atmosphere but it also doubles as a convenience store: red and white booths with condiments line the walls but the middle has a few aisles containing various snacks, treats, and essentials such as deodorant and batteries, complete with drinks stuffed in ice baths on the endcaps.

Tony walks in and an unexpected warmth fills his chest at seeing this kid beam at him, this fuzziness unfamiliar, certainly something he’s never felt before.

He’ll never say it in a million years, but it’s the best feeling to ever exist.

“Mr. Tony, you came!” Peter says, practically bouncing in his seat as the man across from him looks at the door, giving him a confused look.

“Well, I said I was going to, didn’t I? And I’m nothing if not a man of my word.” The billionaire sets the giant piece of fruit on the counter in front of him, “I hope you like strawberries.”

“Whoa,” the boy’s eyes broaden to about the size of that fruit, “They make them this big?”

“They do in  _ Pac-Man.” _

“You got this from  _ Pac-Man?! _ You’re allowed to do that?”

“Uh,” the former hero mumbles as he sits on the barstool next to Peter, wiping the residual fruit juice on his jeans, “‘Course, kid, why else are they there?”

“He’s lying,” the third person pipes up with a smirk as he slides a sandwich toward Peter, tightly wrapped in tin foil. He says as he walks to the back, “You’re not s’posed to take anything from other games but no one actually follows that rule.”

_ “Ohhh,” _ the kid turns to the other man, “Thanks for breaking the law for me.” He then takes a big bite of the strawberry, forgetting all about his sandwich as he says, “Oh my God.”

“What?” Tony asks.

_ Did I just give this kid a poisoned strawberry? _

“This is the sweetest strawberry I’ve ever tasted.” The teen takes another huge bite and groans in satisfaction, holding it up to the man who gave this to him, “Want a bite, this thing’s  _ huge.” _

Tony smirks at the red stain that now covers his savior’s mouth, juice slowly dripping down his chin as his grin grows a mile wide. With Peter supporting the weight, he grabs a bite with his hand and eats it before it becomes an even bigger mess, moaning as the food damn near melts in his mouth.

_ How and why does Pac-Man have delicious fruit? _

_ I smell a conspiracy. _

Again, he rubs the juice on his jeans as that same man from before approaches them, turning to the former hero, “Iron Man, right? I think I’ve seen you a few times at  _ Tapper.” _

_ And I don’t know you from Adam. _

_ Unless your name  _ is _ Adam. _

“Uh, yeah, I think so. And you are, uh…”

Peter answers for him, his mouth full of strawberry, “Mr. Delmar, he owns the place. His subs are great if you want one.”

As if on cue, the mechanic’s stomach starts rumbling, not loud enough for the other people to hear but just enough for him to concede that maybe he does in fact need to eat something.

“Yeah,” Tony confirms, “I’ll have whatever you made for the kid here.”

“Coming right up.” Delmar writes down the order and sticks it in the ticket holder as he disappears to the back once again.

The billionaire looks over to see the kid is now halfway done with the strawberry, some juice pooling on the counter acting as evidence, “You’re not gonna be able to eat your sandwich after you’re done with that.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I will.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

Peter pauses mid-chew, looking over at the older man, “Really?” he asks with a slight glint in his eyes that the other can’t place.

“Really,” Tony verifies with a smirk.

“Okay,” the boy shrugs, “If I finish this and the sandwich, you owe me another strawberry.”

“Deal.”

_ This is the weirdest bet I’ve ever made. _

Within minutes, Peter finishes off the fruit, grabbing napkins from the nearby holder to wipe off his part of the now red-stained white counter, not worrying too much since the table will be good as new come morning. He slides his wrapped sandwich over to him but makes no move to open and eat it.

“Quitting so soon?” Tony asks teasingly, raising an eyebrow at the kid.

_ “Noooo, _ I’m letting the fruit digest, thankyouverymuch. Also, I wanted to wait until you got your sandwich.”

_ “D’aw, _ I’m touched -”

_ “Shut up,” _ the teen whines, lightly nudging the hero, “So, how was your day?”

The next few minutes are spent with light small talk. Every customer that comes in, Peter knows, whether it be a civilian, grocery store employee, school teacher, shit, even a few characters from other games, he knows them.

Tony doesn’t know whether to be shocked, impressed, or both.

Definitely both.

_ How does this kid know everyone? And how does everyone know him in return? _

“Hey, kid, how do you know everyone?” the billionaire asks, curiosity getting the best of him.

“I just do,” the teenager says, “Most everyone’s pretty cool. I was also kinda known as the ‘Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’ so that might be why too.”

_ I wonder if that Flash brat has ever made an effort. _

Both parties dig in when Tony’s sandwich is served, Peter winning the bet before the older man is even halfway done.

“Where do you put it all?” he asks, still chewing on his bite while staring at this kid in astonishment. How can a little person consume this much food?

“So, remember when I said I woke up with the glitch, how my powers were dulled down?” At the other’s nod, Peter shoots him a mischievous smirk,  _ “Wellllll, _ when we were first plugged in and I got my backstory, I found out that I have a faster metabolism than everyone else, ‘cuz my body has to keep up with my powers. Even though some of my powers are almost nonexistent now, I still have to eat a lot.” His grin grows with victory, “So I played you out of a strawberry.”

Tony shakes his head as a laugh escapes him, lightly patting the kid on the back, “I’ll get you your damn strawberry, you little shit.”

“I’m excited,” Peter says, his smile seemingly glued to his face, “Hey, I need to make  _ something _ happy out of my horrible backstory.”

“Betcha yours ain’t as bad as mine,” the hero challenges, taking another bite of his sandwich.

“Eh, I’m feeling lucky today, what’s yours?”

“Well,” Tony puts down his sub, “Abusive and neglected dad, parents died in a car crash nine days before Christmas, kidnapped by terrorists and had this arc reactor put in my chest - that’s why my chest glows blue - made an Iron Man suit to escape, and now I’m somehow part of the damn Avengers.” He then mockingly holds up his hands as he says, “Ta-da.” 

_ “Daaaaamn, _ okay yeah that sucks, you might have me beat.”

“Well, don’t keep in suspense, what’s yours?”

“Parents died in a plane crash when I was six so I was raised by my aunt and uncle, got bit by a spider on a shady field trip when I was fourteen - that’s how I got my powers - watched my uncle Ben get shot and die two days later, and then I became Spider-Man.”

“Shit, what’s with our companies giving us horrible backstories?”

“They’re all sadists, apparently. I think you still got me beat, though.”

“We’ll call it a tie.” Tony picks up his sub and takes another bite, asking as he’s chewing, “So, what are your powers, or, uh what were your powers?”

Peter hums in thought as he starts counting with his fingers, “Super strength, but now I can’t carry more than a hundred pounds at a time. ‘Spidey sense’, I could sense when bad guys are coming. That one’s still pretty okay but they gotta be really,  _ really _ close, like with Flash and his goons yesterday. I heal fast, well, I used to heal fast, but not as much anymore. Super hearing, but again, it’s not as strong now but like I could still hear your stomach growling earlier -”

“Wait, you heard that?”

“Yup, if you weren’t gonna get a sandwich, I was gonna get one for you.”

_ Why is this kid so damn nice? That must be another superpower. _

“Anyway,” said kid goes on, “I also used to be able to stick to things without tape or anything, now that power is  _ completely _ gone, I can’t stick to anything.”

“Does Flash have these powers now?”

“Yeah, but he’s not as powerful as I was. I’m convinced when he took it over, he got what was taken away from me,” Peter concludes.

“That’s a shame, it really is,” Tony says, giving the other a look of sympathy. He bites his lip in nervousness, taking a deep breath before he begins, seizing the opportunity, “Say, kid, have you ever thought about trying to, uh, fix this ‘glitchiness’ you got?” He takes another bite of his sub to mask the growing apprehensiveness.

Mr. Delmar approaches the counter, taking a customer’s order next to them as the child answers, “Yeah, hundreds of times, but the only shot I have is if I went into the mechanics of the game but I don’t wanna risk breaking it, y’know?”

“Yeah, yeah I get ya.”

_ A bit too much. _

The hero then asks, “Are you the only one who can do this? Did other people get glitched out too?”

“No, just me, at least that I know of. If anyone else is like this, they haven’t said anything.”

_ This…is so fucking shady. _

_ Why are red flags going off right now? _

“Mr. Tony?” Peter asks, “Not that I mind talking about it, I’m used to it, but what exactly are you getting at?”

“Sorry, I know I sound cryptic but I was thinking about your, uh,  _ predicament _ last night and…I wanna help you.”

“With what?”

“Y’know, I wanna help you get your name back.”

Tony didn’t know what to expect of the kid when he first thought of this idea. Will Peter be excited? Grateful? Determined, even?

But he  _ wasn’t _ expecting to see his fall as sadness roars over the teen like a gloomy cloud, raining just on him and nothing else.

Light panic fills the older man’s chest, with no clue of what to say next. Did he say something wrong or offensive? Why wouldn’t the kid want to get his name back, what is he missing?

“Mr. Tony, I don’t know,” Peter says, “What would we even do?”

“Well that, I don’t know,” said scientist answers, “I’ll need your help with that. I have some experience with mechanics, I’ve gotten into my own game once or twice.”

“How’d that go?”

“Well, it didn’t. Like you, I was afraid I’d break my game too. Is there anyone around here who can get into the game’s wiring and have some clue of what they’re doing?”

“Beck would be your best bet. He plays Mysterio but he’s not actually a bad guy, he just plays one.”

_ Join the club. _

Peter continues, “But I don’t know, what if it doesn’t work?”

“We won’t know until we try, bud. At least if we don’t succeed, we  _ know _ there’s no shot but right now, it’s just a very negative ‘maybe.’”

“But -”

Mr. Delmar unexpectedly chimes in, “You should go for it, Pete.”

Both parties’ heads shoot up in shock, obviously not knowing he was listening in. 

The shop owner gives them a hearty chuckle, leaning against his side of the counter between them, “Kid, Spider-Man is  _ you, _ glitch or not. It can’t hurt to at least try, Lord knows how much of a pain in the ass the guy we have now is.”

“Is he that bad with everyone?” Tony asks.

“Yep,” both Queens natives say at the same time. Delmar then says, “That kid is just so damn entitled and giving him this much power only fed into it. Any opportunity to get  _ you _ back on top,” he points at the kid, “Count me in, and you should too.”

“Can’t you guys hold a vote or something to get someone else to be Spider-Man at least?” Tony asks.

“We could,” Peter says, “But we don’t know how the players are gonna react. You see Spider-Man with the mask off, especially in the bonus level where you can make your own suit. The transition from me to Flash was already weird enough, we don’t wanna go through that again.”

“Like with any replacement,” the billionaire says defeatedly. He’s seen games get unplugged because a character died outside of theirs. Few replacements have worked but the ones that didn’t….

“You should go for it,” Delmar concludes, “Think about it this way: the worst is they can’t figure it out and you’re just right back to where you started. There’s no real loss here.”

“Yeah, good point,” the boy concedes. He looks up at his hero, biting his own lip, “You sure you wanna try this? This isn’t just because of yesterday, is it -”

_ “No, _ I promise it’s not,” Tony states, giving the little guy a heartfelt smile, softly gripping his shoulder, “But that  _ is _ a bonus.”

“Oh my God,” Peter laughs despite the extremely unclear situation, “Okay, fine, I’ll do it, even though I don’t know what we’re exactly doing.” He turns back to Tony, “Like I said, talking to Beck might be a good first step, he kinda runs everything, he’s like our unofficial mayor or something. When I woke up with this glitch, him and a couple of his friends went into the wiring to try and fix it but of course they uh, they didn’t wanna risk it.”

“He’s a pretty cool dude,” Delmar confirms, “Sometimes I wish I had his job, or any job that’s not just making sandwiches all day.”

_ Compared to being Iron Man, that gig doesn’t sound that bad right now. _

“Mr. Delmar, you have a great job,” Peter says encouragingly, “You make the best sandwiches in Queens.”

“I concur,” Tony nods his head, “It was pretty delicious.”

“Your job is uber important,” the teen says with a caring smile, “Everyone loves your place, customers are always coming in. If you weren’t here, people would definitely notice.”

“You guys are too kind, but this conversation we’re having? It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to me all month. I gotta get out more.”

“I’ve been out,” Tony says, “It’s meh, you’re really not missing out on much, either one of you.” He gives the kid’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “So, where can I find this Mysterio guy this time of day?”

_ “Tapper, _ most likely,” Delmar says, “Good luck, Iron Man, you’re gonna need it.”

-

“Beck, is it?”

Tony is now at  _ Tapper _ and standing beside the man who he hopes is Mysterio, using the descriptions Peter and Delmar gave him right before he left: brown hair, short mustache and beard, average face and build.

This also described about twenty percent of residents at his own game so if he’s being honest, he’s just taking an educated guess.

The other man turns to look at him, laughing from some joke his friend must’ve made before Tony walked in, “Yeah, who’s asking?”

“Tony,” the billionaire replies, offering his hand for the other to shake, “I wanna talk to you about Peter.”

Beck’s eyes widen in surprise, “Tony? As in  _ Iron Man, _ Tony Stark?” He shakes the other’s hand, “Man, I’m a huge fan.”

_ I honest to God can’t tell if he meant that. _

“Good to know someone is,” the hero says, sitting on the barstool next to him. Almost immediately a beer is sliding his way and he grabs it, holding it up to Happy as a form of “thank you.” He takes a sip of the wonderfully disgusting beverage to loosen his unexpected nerves and repeats what he said, “I came here to talk to you about Peter.”

“The glitch?” Another man pipes up from the other side of Mysterio, eyebrows raised from behind his brown-rimmed glasses.

Tony glares at him, eyes squinting into daggers, “That ‘glitch’ has a name -”

“Alright, alright, alright,” Beck says, holding out both hands on the bar to keep the other two from starting anything, “Tony, this is my buddy, Frank. Frank, this is Iron Man.”

The man, Frank, bashfully waves at the hero, his forehead wrinkling so much that it’s backlogging into his balding head.

_ This is a weird combo.  _

Not that Tony is judging who people hang out with but this guy is so…geeky, with his polo shirt and plaid sweater, the absolute epitome of awkward yet he’s sitting next to Quentin Beck, a guy who’s as laid back and “cool” as anyone can be, definitely doesn’t need a “wingman” to flirt with women.

_ Eh, I played poker with the guys from  _ Street Fighter _ a few weeks ago, I’m thinking way too much about this. _

“Anyway, yes,” Beck continues, “Peter has a…disability, we like to call it.”

“I want to talk to you about possibly, uh, fixing it.”

“Stark, I’ve tried,” the villain signals Happy for another beer and it’s slid to him in seconds, “When Peter came to me about that, that was the first thing we did, me and Frankie both.” He gestures to his friend, “There’s nothing we can do without possibly tampering with the whole game.”

“Look,” Tony starts, staying determined, “I have experience in mechanics, engineering, maybe we can look again with fresh eyes, we might see something -”

“I’m sure you don’t need me to explain to you how important it is to keep everyone safe in your game, right, Stark?”

_ Don’t fucking patronize me. _

The other man bites his tongue as Beck proceeds, “Look, I care about Peter, he was great to work with when he was Spider-Man, such a sweet kid, and I felt terrible when he told me about the glitch. But, Stark, as much as I hate to say it, he’s not worth trying to fix at the expense of the few hundred people who live there.”

_ But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a shot. _

“Okay, okay, I get that,” Tony says, holding back a grimace, “But what if Peter could get this glitch under control? He says it pops up most when he’s stressed but if he’s Spider-Man again, he won’t be stressed anymore, then the glitch can be kept on the down-low -”

_ “Stark,” _ Mysterio cuts him off with a hopeless sigh, “There’s another piece of this whole fucked up puzzle, a piece that Peter doesn't even know ‘cuz I don’t have the heart to tell him. Maybe you can.”

_ Oh shit, what happened? _

“Wha-what do you mean, what  _ piece _ -”

“Peter can, in theory, still be Spider-Man.”

“Then why isn’t he?” Tony asks, voice rising in anger.

“Because he could shut down the game if he wins.” With a groan and another swig of his beer, the villain continues, “I didn’t wanna break the kid’s heart but  _ that’s _ why he had to give up Spider-Man. When we went into the mechanics, whatever happened frayed the wires around ‘Peter Parker’, his wiring is so fragile that when the game resets, it will  _ fry _ everything that makes up Queens, NY, and in turn -”

“Cost hundreds of lives,” Tony finishes with a sigh of despair, his heart dropping to the floor as any and all hope shatters into a million pieces.

Peter can’t be Spider-Man.

And he’s going to have to live with this glitch for the rest of his days.

_ Forever. _

“Well,” the mechanic mutters, finishing off his beer, “This sucks.”

“Yeah,” a sigh escapes the other man, “I didn’t want to tell him all of that, which I mean, I didn’t technically lie to him. If he was Spider-Man and glitching all over the joint, people’ll start questioning and our game will get unplugged regardless.” 

“Yeah,” Tony says, not knowing how else to respond to that, “Kid’s counting on me, I gotta break the news to him.”

“Sorry there’s not a better outcome, Stark.”

With a goodbye to Quentin, Frank, and Happy, Tony is soon out the door and heading back to Queens. His mind is going a million miles an hour but one thought sticks to the forefront of his mind.

_ Except for calling Peter a glitch, that Frank dude didn’t say a word the whole damn time. _

-

Tony knew it was going to hurt the second he walked back into the game.

He sees the kid sitting on the asphalt right next to the tunnel, so much anticipation but reluctance in his eyes.

The guilt of getting the poor guy’s hopes up flows through the man from head to toe and then some as he breaks the devastating piece of news.

“Kid, I’m so sorry -”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Peter states, sounding determined but Tony knows all too well about how to sound tough when actually feeling as fragile as a porcelain doll, “Thanks for trying to help, though, no one’s tried in a really long time.”

“I just feel bad that I can’t do more.”

“You’ve already done a lot,” the spider-kid says as he stands up, a shy smile slowly breaking free from his heartbroken face, “And just wanting to help at all, it’s, uh, it’s really nice.” He shocks the older man completely by giving him a hug, arms tightly wrapped around the other’s torso, just tall enough to wedge his head under Tony’s chin.

There’s that fuzziness again.

Tony gingerly returns the embrace, keeping his grip light for both his sake and Peter’s. Having only known this kid for a couple of days, he doesn’t want to push any boundaries but he wasn’t expecting him to be a hugger either.

When they separate, Tony tries his damndest not to be awkward so he’ll get out while he’s ahead, “Well, I should probably go -”

“Do you wanna go get ice cream?” Peter asks, ducking his head as bashfulness clouds him, “I mean if you want? I know it’s gonna get dark eventually but the lights are always on that it’s practically daytime all the time so uh, yeah. Miss Helen makes amazing ice cream, she churns it herself, it’s so cool. Or-Or if you uh, need to get back that’s fine too, sorry.”

The older man chuckles. How can someone be so awkward but also use it as part of their charm at the same time?

_ Lemme think: go back to my game and deal with Steve’s shit, go back to  _ Tapper _ and awkwardly run into Beck for the second time in less than an hour, or go get ice cream with the kid? _

“Sure, kiddo, lead the way.”

They make small talk as they walk into the city, the lights turning on as the sky grows darker. Whatever they’re talking about, Peter always interrupts to show Iron Man a new place, “There’s the bookstore, Mrs. Cunningham is really nice but most of her books are gross romance novels. Mr. Edwards runs the flower shop over here, May always buys flowers there for her shop. And here’s the…”

_ Again, this kid knows everyone. _

_ Every damn person. _

The way people wave at him when they walk by, passing “Hi’s” back and forth and if Tony had a dollar for every time that greeting was said, he might have enough money for a down payment on a suit upgrade.

The teenager leads them to the local ice cream parlor and they get their flavors, choosing to continue walking with their cones rather than sit at a table. A couple more blocks down the street and Tony flinches at the kid’s unexpected squeal, a streak of blue briefly creasing across his abdomen, “Oh my God, it’s Ned.” 

_ Yep,  _ totally _ “just friends.” _

The billionaire looks ahead to see a boy with dark hair walking their way, speeding up once he catches sight of his friend,  _ “Dude, _ I thought you were at May’s, I’ve been looking all over for you - oh, hi.” He cuts himself off at seeing the unfamiliar man and gives him a shy wave.

“This is Mr. Tony,” Peter says, looking up at the older man, pointing at the other teenager, “This is Ned, if it weren’t for him, I’d go senile.” The man gives a friendly wave back.

_ If it weren’t for Rhodey,  _ I’d _ go senile. _

“I, uh,” Ned starts, turning to his best friend, “I got you something. Well, I actually, uh, had it made, um,” his cheeks flush to a light shade of pink, “Yeah, um,” he fishes something out of his pocket and holds it up to the spider-boy, “You like it?”

It’s a small keychain of the Spider-Man symbol, but instead of the usual black like what Tony saw on the front of the suit, four colors fill the logo in a horizontal striped motion of black, gray, white, and purple.

_ Huh, interesting color combo. _

Peter’s eyes bug out in pure excitement, “Oh my God,” he gingerly grabs it, putting a finger through its corresponding loop and letting it dangle against his palm, “Ned, this is amazing, thank you so much, but-but why?”

“I saw the keychain and thought of you, silly goose. But then Ms. Myrtle told me I could have different colors on it and  _ welllll, _ I thought you’d like these ones.”

_ Wait, do those colors have some kinda special meaning or something? _

“It’s amazing,” Peter gushes, his own cheeks turning pink,  _ “You’re _ amazing.” He gives his best friend a hug, a bit of an awkward one due to the increase in his glitching and the slowly dripping ice cream cone but they make it work. 

_ Now, this is the cutest shit to ever witness. _

Tony clears his throat after the embrace lasts a few seconds too long for this “friendship” to ever actually be considered platonic, causing the two teens to let go, their faces much more flushed than a few minutes prior. Ned then says, “I gotta go, my mom needs stuff from the store, but, uh, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” Peter confirms, almost serenely as his smile grows even wider. 

As do the staticky stripes.

_ Do they know I’m still here or what? _

_ I’m being third-wheeled by a couple of teenagers, what’s my life coming to? _

“Oh,” Ned states, not commenting or even noticing his friend’s glitching, “Don’t go near Chubbie’s, by the way, Flash is there.”

“Thanks for the tip, but I got Iron Man here,” the other teen gestures to the older man, giving him a proud smile, “Flash is like deathly afraid of him.”

“As he should be,” Tony adds, digging into his cone.

Ned’s eyes bug out at the hero, “Oh my God, you’re  _ Iron Man? _ I thought I recognized you!” He then gives a disgruntled look, “They did you so dirty.”

Tony can’t help but chuckle, thinking back to the exact same thing Peter said yesterday, “Yeah, I know, I don’t like it much either.”

“Eh, you’re still a hero in my book, I just ignore canon.”

_ Same. _

“Thanks, kid, wish more people think like you do.”

“Just ignore them, that’s what I do with Flash.”

Ned says his goodbyes as he walks off and the other two continue down the street while finishing their ice cream, with Peter having to catch up since his friend distracted him so much that the treat has melted onto his fingers. Tony is also using this time to scope out signs for that establishment, Chubbie's, because they’re  _ absolutely _ going to pass it and he is  _ absolutely _ going to make sure Flash sees them.

“He seems like a nice kid,” Tony says, popping the last bit of the cone in his mouth.

“He is,” the child responds, his glitching almost completely gone and he’s still sporting that same grin that will take a fucking alien invasion to wipe off his face, probably not even that.

“You should go for it.”

“Go for what?”

Tony snorts, giving the kid a look of disbelief, “You really didn’t see it? You guys were giving each other so much ‘heart eyes’, I’m amazed the game didn’t turn them into  _ actual _ hearts.”

Peter pauses in his ice cream consumption as he looks at the older man in confusion, “What?”

“Yeah,” the billionaire quips, playfully rolling his eyes, “I can’t believe this, you were  _ staring _ at the guy and you still didn’t see it.”

“See what?”

_ “Oh my God, _ he was looking at you the same way you were looking at him. Whatever these feelings you’re having that  _ far _ exceed friendship, he feels the same way.”

The teenager stops completely in his tracks this time, looking at the hero in absolute shock and momentarily forgetting all about his ice cream, “No way -”

_ “Yes, _ way.” Tony tilts the kid’s ice cream cone so that it’s sitting upright again instead of at a staggering acute angle, “He likes you too, he gave you a keychain for Christ’s sake. Since he’s not gonna make a move, you should.”

“But…why?”

“Why what?”

Peter starts walking again, slowly as he’s deep in thought, “Why me? I’m a glitch, why would he ever wanna date a glitch?”

“I don’t know, but obviously he  _ does,” _ Tony lightly nudges him with his elbow, giving him a smirk, “You should go for it.”

The boy looks down at his cone in embarrassment, his cheeks now almost the color of that damn strawberry he ate earlier, “Maybe.”

“And if I hear any more self-deprecation from you, I’ll blast you into that obnoxious billboard.”

“Okay, okay,” the spider-kid relents, chuckling as he finally starts into his actual cone, “He  _ did _ give me a keychain.”

“A  _ customized _ keychain. What’s so special about those colors, anyway?”

“Oh,” Peter takes the item out of the pocket of his jeans, showing it to the other hero, “It’s the colors of the asexual flag.”

That stops Tony briefly in his tracks.

_ There’s a flag for that? _

“The arcade had decorations for some kind of pride theme thing like a month or so ago,” the teen continues, not noticing that the man stopped so Tony has to power walk to keep up, “In the view screen, I saw a few different flags and after doing some digging, I found out this is the ace one. I got so excited, I never knew colors represented me and I’ve been wanting something with them ever since.”

_ Colors  _ represent _ me? _

“Hold up, you’re ace too?” Tony, along with the kid this time, stops in his tracks, giving him a look of both confusion and surprise.

Peter’s eyes broaden mid-chew,  _ “Dude, _ you’re ace too?! I’ve never met another ace person.”

“Me either,” the mechanic says, an uncontrollable grin escaping him, “I told my teammates and they didn’t really care much, so this is…wow.”

“This is so cool!” Peter exclaims, eating the rest of his cone in one bite, “How’d you find out? We don’t exactly have the resources here that the humans do.”

“I don’t know, really, I’ve just always known.” Tony shrugs as he starts walking again, awkwardly putting his hands in his pockets, “To be honest, I think I’m programmed as asexual since I’ve never actually heard the term said.”

“Me too,” Peter says, strolling alongside the hero, “When I explained it to Ned, he had no idea what I was talking about so I feel like people are either programmed as ace or they don’t know the word exists.”

“A shame, really.” The scientist lightly nudges him again, “Look at us being all ‘edumacated.’”

“This is seriously the coolest thing, oh my God.” The boy elbows him in return, putting his keychain back in his pocket, “So, you said your teammates don’t care, uh, do you  _ like _ your teammates? You haven’t really talked about them, or your, uh, your game in general.”

_ I knew these questions were coming. _

“I like them for the most part. Like with any ‘family’, we have our ups and downs. I just, I don’t know, it’s complicated.”

“Does it have to do with what happened to your character?”

“Kinda. I’m gonna be honest, things haven’t been the same since then. Not that I’ve ever gotten along much with Steve, to begin with - he’s Captain America, by the way - but since  _ Civil War, _ there’s barely a day that goes by that we don’t butt heads over something.”

“But why? I mean, it’s not your fault they made you a villain.”

“No, I know, believe me, but,” Tony pauses for a defeated sigh, “I  _ want _ to be a hero again, I miss it, I admit, I miss it. And playing the first game doesn’t feel the same anymore, no matter how many times I try to ignore it, ignore  _ canon, _ as people say. It’s just not the same anymore.”

“And this Steve dude is annoyed that you miss it?”

“Probably,” the man says with a snort, “So  _ Civil War _ ended with his side winning, he got all the praise, hero-worship, a whole fucking party, and I got stripped of my Avenger status.”

“How did that even happen, how does the game go?”

“Well, the first one’s a little bit similar to yours: you’re an Avenger and you help us take down all these aliens. You start out with a cheap gun that doesn’t shoot that fast but you gradually upgrade, and as you get nicer weapons, the aliens multiply. You get past all of them, then you gotta take down Loki and retrieve the Tesseract. Then you win, save the world, all that good stuff.”

“That sounds really cool! And then they just squashed everything in the sequel.”

“Yep, pretty much,” Tony says, “You’re an Avenger again and in the beginning, you choose which side you’re on, mine or Cap’s. Then it becomes like something out of _Street_ _Fighter_ except you battle each other all at once. Then, about halfway through, you kinda get hit an intermission.”

“Intermission?”

“Yep, shit starts coming to light, Iron Man is ‘bad news’, yada yada, and if you were on my side in the beginning, you switch over to Cap’s…because Iron Man is a  _ traitor.” _

“That doesn’t sound fair.”

“It wasn’t, but someone had to win. And Steve won’t let me forget it.”

“He sounds like an asshole, kinda sounds like Flash, to be honest.”

“So both of us got a ‘Flash’ to deal with, huh?”

“Eh, not many people like Flash around here so that part’s pretty funny. And I can bet my  _ timeless _ ace keychain that Steve doesn’t have as many fans as he thinks he does.”

“Oh, he does, who doesn’t love ‘America’s Angel’?”

“Me,” Peter nudges the older man, his mouth forming into a smile, “You seem pretty cool though.”

“You’ve known me for a ‘whopping’  _ two days.” _

“So? It’s been a fun couple days, except with the whole you almost dying and my glitchy panic attack, but we’re having fun.” Peter’s face immediately falls, “Wait,  _ are _ you having fun? I can take you back if you want -”

Tony cuts him off with a laugh, “Kid, relax, I’m having fun.” He takes a chance and wraps his arm around the teen’s shoulders, sighing relievedly at the kid leaning into him, “I’m just glad you’re not afraid of me.”

“Huh?” Peter stares up at the older man, giving him a puzzled look, “Why would I be afraid of you?”

“‘Cuz I’m a bad guy, a traitor like I said. Most people don’t care but there’s still some that are kinda afraid of me, like those brats and the guy from  _ BurgerTime _ that actually changed seats in  _ Tapper _ so he wouldn’t sit next to me. While I’m glad I could take advantage of it yesterday, it gets annoying sometimes.”

_ All the time. _

“Well,  _ I’m _ not afraid of you. You’re literally playing a character, no one should be afraid of you for that. They’re all just fucking stupid.”

Tony busts out laughing, briefly pausing where he stands as another bout erupts, so contagious that the kid joins in while saying, “Hey, it’s true.”

_ And that’s why it’s so funny. _

They continue giggling about it for the next block or so and Tony is hit with a revelation.

He hasn’t laughed that hard in a long ass time.

-

“Tones, wanna go to  _ Tapper _ tonight?”

“Maybe for just one drink, I’m gonna go to Queens again.”

The Avengers are outside Stark Tower, waiting for the next person to give them a “quarter alert.” Some of them are sitting on the steps while others are leaning against the building.

Tony himself is ready to go in his suit, his faceplate retracted, and is sitting on the step closest to the door with his legs outstretched, while his best friend leans against the wall next to him.

“You’ve been going there a lot lately,” Rhodey states, retracting his faceplate fully, “What do they got that we don’t?”

_ For one, they don't have Steve. _

“Just a change of scenery, that’s all.”

“Yeah?” Clint asks, chiming in while practicing moves with his bow and arrow, “Well, you’ve been going to that ‘change of scenery’ almost every day for like what, a month now? More than that? Surely you’ve seen every nook and cranny of that place.”

“Queens is nice, what can I say?” Tony retorts with a shrug.

“Seriously Tony,” Steve says from the first step, shining his spotless shield for “brownie points” that no one will give two fucks about, “Why do you keep going to that kid’s game anyway?”

“Get your head outta your ass, Steve,” Rhodey quips, “We’re all kids’ games.”

“Yeah but that one’s  _ about _ a kid.” Cap rests his back against the railed stairwell, turning to the armored hero, “Tony, what the hell do you want in a kid’s game?”

“They got pretty good subs. Their ice cream’s hand-churned and it shows.”

“Nah, it’s about  _ that _ kid,” Nat says from behind Steve, fidgeting with her spears.

_ What? _

_ How’d she know? _

“You really think I wasn’t gonna find out?” The spy rebuts, laughing at the man’s bewildered expression, “You’re terrible at keeping secrets, who’s the kid?”

_ Shit. _

_ “Awww,” _ Thor says while swinging his hammer off to the side, “Stark’s got a new little friend.”

“You’re friends with an  _ actual _ child?” Loki asks as he fiddles with his scepter, “On purpose?”

“Yes, on  _ purpose,” _ Tony snaps at the god, “How does one make a friend on ‘accident’?”

Clint answers, “It’s what happened with me and Tasha. Anyway, what’s up with this kid that you’re actually turning down  _ Tapper _ for?”

_ Why do I constantly feel the need to defend myself over pointless shit? _

“I’m not turning down  _ Tapper _ completely, I’m just, uh, controlling my intake.”

_ And I don’t wanna get drunk in front of the kid. _

_ See, look at that, I’m being responsible. _

“What do you and the kid do anyway?” Thor asks, an amused smile on his face, “How the hell do you hang out with a  _ kid?” _

Tony sighs, sitting up straight as he gives in, “Not that it’s any of your business but there’s no real science to it. We got sandwiches together one day and we just had fun shooting the shit. There, you happy now?”

“What’d you guys do yesterday?” the colonel asks, putting on a grin himself, but this one is warm, teasing in an affectionate sort of way.

A smile escapes the billionaire before he can stop himself, “Hung out at his aunt’s coffee shop. She was trying out a blueberry scone recipe and we were her guinea pigs, and yes, it was delicious.”

_ “D’aw,” _ Clint says mockingly, “No picture for a ‘hallmark moment’? -”

“I will blast  _ you _ into Queens if you don’t shut up -”

“Relax, cool it,” Rhodey cuts in, acting as the unofficial peacemaker. He turns to his friend, “It’s cute you got a new friend.”

A smirk spreads across the mechanic’s face, “Y’know you’ll always be my number one, platypus.”

“I better,” the soldier returns with a light quip, “When can I meet this kid, anyway -”

Steve cuts them off with a question, “Wait, coffee shop? What’s the name of the place?”

“‘Cuppa May’, it’s cute, right? It fits her too -”

“May?” Cap asks, eyes widening, “As in _May_ _Parker?_ Your new friend’s the _glitch?”_

The air around them grows tense as that question sinks in, with Tony resisting the urge to take Steve’s too perfect shield and hit it upside his too perfect head.

“How do you know about Peter?” Tony asks with a glare, his voice lowering, “How’d you know about that but I didn’t?”

“Word gets around, I thought everyone knew. What the hell made you start hanging out with him?”

Tony rolls his eyes, “Oh, am I not  _ allowed _ to hang out with him, is that what you’re implying?”

“I’m just saying, he’s a glitch, you don’t know what he’s capable of, what if he’s dangerous -”

“Okay first of all, that ‘glitch’ has a name, it’s ‘Peter’, use it as such. And secondly, I’ve yet to see this kid hurt a fly, let alone be dangerous.”

“Tony,” Bruce cuts in, poking his head around the other side of Thor, the only one in regular clothes until someone plays and he can unleash his Hulk, “Okay, Steve wasn’t all that _ tactful,” _ he cuts a scowl at said man, ignoring the other’s scoffs, “But he does have a point.” He walks up to the railing and folds his arms on top of it, giving his friend a look of worry, “What if this kid does something that’s out of his control, what if you get caught in the crossfire? I don’t wanna lose you, Tony, none of us do, we’re just worried is all.”

“And that’s nice, Bruce, it is, but I’m sure I’ll be okay. He hasn’t done anything to anyone, the glitch only affects himself.”

“All the same, just be careful. Keep in mind that those people are in their game and you’re not in yours.”

Tony gives him a thankful half-smile, “I get it, Bruce, but thanks.”

“Was he the reason why you were late that one day?” Steve asks.

“Oh my God, you’re still on that?” Tony says with a groan, “That was weeks ago, how many times do I gotta say ‘I’m sorry’ for it to finally stick?”

“Apparently a million,” Loki says, “‘Cuz that’s how many it takes to get it into this,” he pokes the scepter into Steve’s head, “Thick skull he’s got.”

“Shut up, Loki,” Cap says as he swats away the staff, “I just don’t want it to happen again.”

_ Here we go. _

“I’m not five, I learned my lesson -” Tony starts but his rival cuts him off.

“Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was?” the blonde retorts, tone growing irritable as he puts his shield off to the side, “What if someone wanted to play? What would they have done if they started playing and you weren’t there? Everyone’s lives you put at risk -”

“I get it -”

“You could’ve gotten us unplugged,” Steve finishes, face red with anger, “All because you got drunk and passed out somewhere.” 

“What do you expect me to say, Mr. ‘Stick-up-my-ass’? I said I was sorry, there’s nothing else I can do except not make that mistake again, and have I done it since?”

“Not even hungover,” Thor answers for the patriotic hero.

_ “Thank you,” _ Tony says dramatically, gesturing to the god, “Sorry, Stevie, you gotta find something else about me to bitch about.”

Steve unexpectedly laughs but in no way that is genuine, “You really don’t get it? First, you get drunk and now you’re hanging around someone who glitches.”

“Don’t say a fucking word about Peter -”

“Do you even care about your game? Or the people in it?”

Tony can physically feel the hairs on his skin stick straight up, a chill filtering through him as goosebumps take over his body, using every ounce of strength imaginable not to charge at this asshole and kill him so many times that Steve will be too tired to respawn.

He hears Nat mutter, “Steve, what the fuck?” and Rhodey calls out, “Steve, get off your high horse, will you? I think your brain is filled with too much cloud dust up there -”

Tony cuts him off with a grimace pointed right at Cap and says gravely, “Where’d that come from?”

Steve’s eyebrows squint in confusion, “What -”

“You heard me, motherfucker. I know I’ve done stupid shit, but  _ when, _ in the whole ten fucking years we’ve known each other, have I not ever cared? You think I  _ want _ this game to get unplugged?”

“That’s not what I meant -”

“Oh, really? Sounded like you meant it from all the way over here, buster. What the fuck could have possessed you to think that?”

“For starters, you haven’t exactly been a good role model for this glitch.”

“Not that it matters but the kid knows everything, cards on the table, and y’know what?  _ He doesn’t care, _ he doesn’t give a shit ‘cuz we’re just eating sandwiches together, what a concept.”

“Tony, listen to me -”

“This is because of  _ Civil War, _ isn’t it?”

Everyone stiffens this time, knowing a shaky situation is being brought up. Tony continues, “You never hinted at anything like that until Iron Man became a traitor -”

“Because you were happy with your character until the sequel came out. You haven’t been the same since -”

“So even you admit that I hated what happened to me, that's a shock.”

Loki chimes in, “Stark, how many times have I told you, you just need to embrace it -”

“Easy for you to say, you were a bad guy from the beginning. People like you  _ because _ you're a bad guy."

"And people still like you despite what happened -"

"But people aren't  _ afraid _ of you. People have never avoided you like the plague for playing a villain. Loki, you don't know what that's like."

"Which is why I'm telling you to  _ embrace it. _ Your life will be much more pleasant if you just accept it, those people are just shitheads -"

"Easier said than done, I don't have the accent."

“For fuck’s sake -”

“Look me in the eye and tell me the accent doesn’t help -”

Steve cuts them off, “Okay, okay, okay, we’ve gotten off track here -”

“Good,” Tony says, “I can forget all that shit you said -”

“Tony, for God’s sakes,” Cap says angrily, leaning forward toward said hero, “Don’t try and make me the bad guy here, even you have to admit that you’ve been reckless since the continuation.”

_ Make  _ you _ out to be the bad guy? Trust me, that is not my fault. _

_ Holy shit, can  _ someone _ just play us already? _

“Okay, let’s play the reckless card,” Tony starts, sounding too nonchalant, “Other than the time I got drunk, have I ever been late? C’mon, name one other time, just one.”

“Cap,” Rhodey says, coming to his best friend’s defense, “Unless I ‘called in sick’ that day, I don’t recall any other day he was late.”

“I’m just saying,” America’s hero states, getting up and walking toward his rival, “How do I know you’ll never make that mistake again? How do I know if I can trust you?”

_ Oh my God, can  _ I _ call in sick? _

_ Shit, can I just go play hooky with the kid, maybe May has more scones. _

Tony stands up, looking his teammate in the eye, picturing the guy’s head getting split open by that fucking shield and feeling not a speck of remorse at hoping it would come true.

“‘How do you know I can trust you?’” the billionaire repeats slowly as the heavy question sinks in. With no more energy to feel offended, he sighs in despair, “After all these years, after all this shit, you question me  _ now?” _

“You’re the one that’s making me question it -”

“Can it, for the love of everything in this whole fucking arcade, can it.” Tony flips over his faceplate, “I’m done.”

“Stark -” Natasha starts but the man in question cuts her off.

“Relax,” he turns on his repulsors so he can hover over the ground, “I’ll be here for the fucking ‘quarter alert.’”

_ The literal only reason why I’m not leaving is so this game won’t get unplugged. _

_ But nope, I apparently “don’t care.” _

Before they can say anything more, the mechanic flies to the top of Stark Tower, a place where he can tell when a “quarter alert” appears while giving everyone else the heads up that talking to him is  _ off-limits, _ even Rhodey.

He hasn’t come up here in eons, no point when he has his lab to escape to.

However, he’s got to admit, he likes how remote the rooftop is. He might just have to move his lab up here.

Tony turns off his repulsors and retracts his helmet at the top-most part of the tower, his feet landing on the concrete but he’s soon sitting down completely, his gaze at the scenic view of Manhattan and the sky that’s also the viewscreen where he can see a few other games in the arcade such as  _ Dance Dance Revolution, Fix-It Felix Jr., Space Invaders. _

And  _ The Amazing Spider-Man. _

The man squints at it, getting a good look at the game’s appearance: the console is red on the front but the side is a bright blue, complete with a cartoon of Spider-Man posing with his arm sticking out like he’s about to shoot a web. The game stands in front of his own but off to the side with about a quarter of its screen blocked off from a teenager currently playing it.

He notices instantly how different the game looks from this end of it. The player is seeing a far more pixelated screen and while the gameplay is the same - the human is webbing up drones as Spider-Man - there are several bonuses that Tony didn’t see when he was in Queens. Occasional boosts would pop up such as a timer to temporarily freeze the drones or a “times two” that can shoot two webs at once.

Then Tony sees a small blue lightning bolt appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen and the player shoots at it, the man expecting to see the hero with an energy boost, able to take down more drones in a shortened amount of time.

And yes, that happens…but in a way he never expected.

Spider-Man starts bouncing off the walls,  _ literally, _ blue streaks flowing across him, taking down drones so fast that the player almost clears Stage Two.

_ Wait a second. _

Blue streaks.

Bouncing off the walls.

_ As if he’s  _ glitching.

The genius stands up suddenly, squinting so hard that he’s causing a headache but no fucks are given because  _ what the fuck did he just see? _

_ No way. _

_ Peter would never risk shutting down his game, what the fuck? _

After a few seconds, the character is back to normal, and the screen is cleared of drones in no time. Stage Three starts seconds later and he watches Spider-Man in action, webbing drones just like he’s done for years now.

Another lightning bolt pops up, this time towards the center of the screen, the kid’s shoulder blocking a piece of it.

And the spider-boy is off again, bouncing from one drone to another without any real help from the player in all honesty. More blue lines streak across the teenager’s body as he teleports from one drone to another until the boost wears off and he is back to normal.

Those bounces, the blue, the  _ glitching, _ that’s not a power boost, that’s Peter’s normal.

Peter can do this without needing any kind of bonus.

So if this Spider-Man can do it.

Then why can’t the  _ real _ Spider-Man do this too?

_ Something’s not right here. _

_ What the fuck is going on in Queens? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you enjoy the chapter!!! 
> 
> **Trigger Warning** kidnapping and someone is put into a chokehold in one scene

The second he hears "Arcade's Closed", Tony rushes to Queens, not saying a word to any of his teammates because that would waste too much time.

He immediately starts his route to May’s coffee shop, the now routine place where he meets up with the kid. Tony doesn't know what to say or do so he's hoping it will magically come to him on the way.

About halfway there, it does, across the street from the ice cream shop.

In the form of a balding head, thick glasses, and an ugly plaid sweater vest.

_ Frank. _

Tony crosses the street, keeping it casual by putting his hands in his pockets, looking without a care in the world despite the ever-growing confusion.

The man in question is walking down the street, not noticing Iron Man approaching him until the billionaire taps his shoulder.

"Hey, Frank is it?"

The man turns around, eyes widening at the sight of the has-been hero.

_ Yup, that's not sketchy. _

_ Totally. _

Not waiting for an answer, Tony gives him a not so real grin and says, "Walk with me."

"Uh -"

"C'mon, walk with me, talk with me." Tony wraps his arm around a reluctant Frank, ignoring his apprehension as he walks him into the nearest alley. 

The billionaire lets go, making sure he has the upper hand by blocking the exit.

Frank's fidgeting only increases even though Tony hasn't asked any questions, verifying that something shady is going on here.

"So I was in between plays today," Tony starts, keeping up his easy-going stature and leaning against one wall of the alley, "And I noticed something a bit…off. Think you could shed some light on it?"

"Uh," Frank is visibly petrified at this point, "I'll, uh," he swallows a lump in his throat, "Do the best I can."

"Great," Tony says with another seemingly friendly smile, "That's all I ask. So Spider-Man, he can do some cool shit, can't he?"

Frank's eyes squint in confusion, "Um, yeah, uh-uh I guess, yeah."

"But didya know that there's these, uh, what do you call them?" Tony pretends to think for a few seconds, "Little 'boosts' to help the player out?" 

He clears his throat to resist smirking at seeing the other man's vein pop out of his forehead, "Y'know like one that freezes the drones for a few seconds, one where you can shoot two webs at once. And then there's  _ this _ one." Tony bores right into that geek's eyes, "And I’m assuming you know the one?"

"Uh," Frank takes a few steps back, "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about." 

The mechanic rolls his eyes, “Of course you don’t.” He says, his tone turning serious as he takes a couple steps forward, “So Flash can use the glitch as a ‘boost’ but Peter can’t be Spider-Man  _ at all? _ Am I the only one around here who thinks that’s not very fair?”

“But -”

“And then Beck says that because Peter is a glitch, he could shut down the game if he wins.  _ Welllll, _ how many times has Flash won, do you reckon?”

“I, I-I don’t know, I don’t exactly keep up with the stats -”

“Well, he’s won more than  _ zero _ times, hasn’t he? So,  _ Frankie,” _ Tony gives the man a cheeky smile, crossing his arms in front of him, “Can you tell me why Flash can play while glitching but Peter can’t?”

To the genius’s surprise, Frank starts running towards the opposite end of the alley.

_ Running. _

He outwardly groans as he starts sprinting, catching up to the guy in seconds. Tony shoves the man against the wall and his left hand shoots straight at the other’s neck, keeping him in place with a chokehold.

“Y’know, I think you’re the dumbest person I’ve ever met,” the hero says, pressing a button on his watch and seeing the gauntlet form over the hand in that chokehold, “Trying to outrun an  _ Avenger, _ were you thinking you were gonna get a sudden case of super speed or something?”

Said man’s only response is a shout of  _ “Fuck you.” _

Tony chuckles, more to Frank’s offended look than the curse itself, and says, “Nah, I’m ace, you don’t know what that is but I’m not into that sorta thing. You’re also  _ not _ my type, I mean I don’t think I have one but it sure as hell ain’t you so -”

“Just shut up and let me go,” Frank cuts in, rolling his eyes, “You’re wasting our time.”

_ “Oh,” _ Tony says, giving him a look of mockery, “I’m rambling again, where are my manners?” He tightens his grip on the man, face falling as anger sets in, “So why don’t you tell me the  _ real _ reason why Peter can’t be Spider-Man.”

Unexpectedly, Frank starts laughing, pissing off the hero even more, “What’re you gonna do,  _ Iron Man, _ kill me? I’m in Queens,  _ I can’t die.” _

“No, unfortunately, I can’t do Queens a favor and rid it of its scum…but I can still kill you.” The billionaire smirks at the other’s confused look, “In the words of ‘America’s Saint’, ‘I can do this all day.’ So no matter how many times you respawn, I will be here to kill you over,” he tightens his chokehold, “And over,” he squeezes once again, now at the point where Frank is struggling to breathe, “And over again. Hope you don’t have any hot dates tonight ‘cuz I’m afraid you’re gonna be  _ just a little busy _ -”

“Okay!” Frank cries, his voice understandably raspy. He squirms in an attempt to escape but the hero holds up to his title of  _ Iron _ Man. He only speaks more clearly when Tony just barely lets up on his grip, “I’ll tell you everything.”

“This isn’t a movie where we pause for dramatic effect, what the fuck is it? We’re burning daylight here -”

“Peter can still be Spider-Man.”

Tony is taken aback, “Then why isn’t he?” he asks.

“Beck tried to delete his code.”

_ Wait, what? _

“That’s why he’s a glitch,” Frank continues, “He tried to get me to help him but there was nothing I could do without risk of ruining the game itself.”

“Why?” Tony asks, voice rising in anger, “Why would Beck try to destroy Peter, what the hell does he have to gain from that?” 

“I don’t know -”

“You’re kidding me, right?” 

Tony squeezes the man’s neck but Frank shouts in protest, “I don’t know, I swear,  _ I swear!” _ He starts coughing at the outburst, making the billionaire loosen his grip ever so slightly, “All I know is,” the balding man says, sounding like he’s in desperate need of water, “If Peter wins, the game will reset,” Frank takes a couple of breaths to keep his voice steady, “As will him.”

“And he won’t be a glitch anymore,” Tony says, a faint smile escaping him but it falls almost immediately, “He won’t be a liability to his game, he can leave of his own free will…he can be Spider-Man.”

“Exactly -”

“And you really have no idea why Beck is doing this? Did him and Peter not get along or something, why is he keeping him from being Spider-Man?”

“We don’t know, none of us do. I think when Beck messed with the kid’s wiring, he took our memories along with it, I have no idea why he’s doing this.” Frank grips onto the gauntlet with both of his hands, trying to pull it away from him, “Now, for fuck’s sake, let go of me -”

Tony drops him right to the ground, sprinting to the city before the man can even catch his breath. He doesn’t stop until he sees the brown coffee cup-shaped sign of “Cuppa May” written in white cursive lettering, swinging back and forth with the wind.

The man catches his breath as he rushes inside, gripping onto the counter above the display case, the act causing patrons to turn heads along with both Parkers from behind the counter.

“Mr. Tony?” Peter starts, turning off the blender and pouring out the smoothie for a customer. Once that’s served, the kid turns to the older man, keeping his voice low, “Are you okay? Did Steve say some stupid shit again -”

“No, no,” the billionaire looks up, seeing the looks of concern on both Parkers’ faces, “Not about me, nothing about me.” He walks in front of May and whispers, “Do you have a backroom?”

-

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“Aunt May -”

“I’m serious, I’m doing it.”

The three of them are now in a storeroom that’s adjoined with the kitchen behind the counter. Peter is on the floor against a huge container of flour, his arms crossed on his kneecaps and his forehead resting on top of them, trying to make sense of this bombshell that was just dropped. His aunt is pacing around the room, any angrier and she’d have steam coming out of her ears while Tony looks on as he leans against the door, preventing anyone from barging in.

“I just,” May scoffs,  _ “Why? _ What does Beck have to gain from this, why  _ Peter, _ of all people?”

“I wish I knew,” Tony says solemnly. He turns to the kid, “What do you wanna do, Peter, it’s your call.”

_ “Win, _ obviously,” Peter looks up from his position, giving both adults a look of anger himself, “I want my name back, but I don’t know how, I can’t just take over and be Spider-Man for a day.” A few swift streaks of blue start making itself known, evidence of the growing stress he’s under.

“Who says you can’t?” May says, “If you get up there as Spider-Man before Flash does, he can’t do anything without risk of the game shutting down, he’ll just have to wait for the next player.” She kneels in front of her nephew, gently gripping his ever-growing blue-striped arms as she puts an encouraging smile on her face, “You can be Spider-Man again, sweet pea.”

Peter’s face flushes at the nickname,  _ “Maaaay, _ not in front of Iron Man -”

“Now that,” Tony chimes in, putting on a smile himself, “Is the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Oh my God,  _ guys,” _ the teenager rests his forehead back onto his arms, not caring that he can feel his guardian’s chilled hands still gripping them, “Spider-Man isn’t supposed to be adorable.”

Both adults start laughing, with Tony kneeling himself and ruffling the tyke’s hair in an attempt to calm down the glitching, “You’re right, you’re absolutely right, Spider-Man is tough and badass…and maybe a  _ wee _ bit adorable, it’s part of the charm.”

Peter scoffs, but a giggle escapes him just the same, “Yeah, I’m sure.” He looks up at the two of them, “I wanna do it, but I don’t know how. I don’t have my powers like I did before -”

“But you still have your webs,” May says, sitting down completely in front of her kid, her jeans bumping against his legs, “Mysterio’s just a guy too -”

“Yeah, a guy with  _ drones _ -”

“But still a  _ guy. _ Yes, the drones are convenient but  _ you _ got the whole package: your webs, your wit, your intelligence.”

Tony adds, “I can bet money that Beck is shaking in his cape as we speak.”

“Really?” Peter asks, unamused.

“Really. Look, it’s only a matter of time before Frank runs crying to Beck and he finds out, we gotta act quick.” The billionaire tightens his grip on the kid, locking eyes with him, “Do you want to do this?”

The boy takes a deep breath before nodding his head. His fingers start to tremble and the man can’t tell if it’s from fear or excitement or both. He pretends not to notice how evident the glitches appear around said body parts. 

“Yeah,” Peter says, gradually standing up and the adults following suit, “Yeah, I wanna do this.”

“We’re here for you, okay?” May gives him a hug along with a kiss on his forehead, “And don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work, we’ll just figure out another plan.” Her nephew nods his head, leaning more into her as the shakiness in his hands worsen.

“Where can we find a suit?” Tony asks, grabbing one of the boy’s still glitching hands.

“The bonus level,” both Parkers say at the same time. Peter squeezes his grip on the older man’s hand, “The one where I can pick out my own suit, it’s on the roof of our apartment. Can you take me there?” he asks the other hero.

“Yeah, of course, I got my suit right here.” The mechanic holds his other hand that’s wearing his watch where all the armor is stored, “You ready?”

“Uh-Uh-Uh yeah, um,” Peter swallows a beyond-nervous lump in his throat as his glitch starts to physically shift him with anxiety, “Yeah -”

Tony softly shushes him, pushing him back a step as he rubs both of the other’s shoulders, “Shh, take a deep breath, you’re okay.” He follows along with the kid, keeping his breaths slow and steady, “I know you’re scared right now but you’re gonna be okay, whatever happens. I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

“How? You have your own game to worry about -”

“I’ll get a substitute, don’t worry about that. I have a backup suit and too many civilians to choose from.”

“Thank God,” Peter mutters, so low that Tony pretends not to hear him.

Another minute passes before the glitching is finally under control, not gone completely but enough to where the kid can move of his own accord.

“You ready this time?” Tony asks, a smile escaping him.

“Yeah,” the teenager looks up at his mentor, face showing that he’s determined despite the fear still lingering, “I’m ready.”

May gives her nephew another hug before she turns to the older hero, “You know I trust you, so you better mean it when you say you’ll be there -”

“I promise,” Tony says, “I won’t let anything happen to him.”

“Good.” The woman takes a deep breath, leading them to the door, “I’ll show you the back way out. Can’t let too many people know what we’re doing.”

May takes them out a back exit that leads to a rundown part of Queens, the street especially shady under the darkening sky. Tony would never leave the kid alone here, that’s for sure.

In seconds, the man is engulfed in the iconic Iron Man suit, resisting the urge to smirk at the tyke’s starstruck expression, “Alright, kid, hang on.” He then takes off, wrapping his arms around the kid to keep him in place. Peter holds on as tightly as he can but blue stripes overtake him anyway.

“We’re so high up,” he squeaks, his palms growing sweaty as he tightens his grip on the fellow genius, “Having that sticky power would be helpful right now.”

“It’s okay, bud, you’re not going anywhere.” One of Tony’s hands gently grips the boy’s head, his armored fingers raking through the soft, curly strands, “Tell me where I need to go.”

With Peter’s instructions, they’re soon on the rooftop of the Parkers’ apartment complex. The teenager leads them to a lonely door of what looks like the staircase to all the living quarters.

But inside stands a  _ giant _ walk-in closet. Suit parts of all different colors and designs line the walls behind some plexiglass complete with a joystick of some sort in the center.

“Oh my God,” Tony says as he retracts his helmet, looking around in awe, taking in the intricate designs of the masks, web-shooters, the emblems.

“Yeah, isn’t it cool?” Peter says with a grin, staring intently at all of the suits, “Not gonna lie, this was always my favorite part.”

“Whatcha gotta do to get to this point?”

“Stage Ten, right after defeating Stage Three Mysterio. This was used as like an incentive for the player to keep going, in case they’re getting bored and want to lose on purpose.”

“Huh, clever. So, what colors are you gonna do?”

“What?”

“Y’know, are you gonna go with the red and blue or are you gonna do something different?”

Peter’s eyes widen, to the man’s surprise, “Uh,” he looks back at all the parts, hand mindlessly touching the glass, “Huh.”

“What?”

“I’ve just…never thought about that. I’ve never been here to pick out colors for myself. I can literally pick out  _ whatever I want.” _ The boy genius turns to the billionaire, “Sorry, I know I’m being weird -”

“Kid, this is your first suit in over two years, you’re allowed to be mushy.” Tony looks around yet again, “Wish I had options, damn, this is so cool. How does it work?”

“Oh, this joystick thingy.” Peter walks to the counter, tall enough to accommodate Spider-Man’s height and just tiny enough to fit said lever on top, “It’s kinda like those claw machines where you try and grab your prize but in this one, it actually works.”

Tony watches the “claw” swing back and forth as the young hero picks out his colors. Each time he presses the button, the mechanism grabs the part and slides it all the way down the wall, dropping into a hole with a swing door that mimics one of a public trash can.

Peter grabs everything, carrying the load as if he’s the happiest person who’s ever done laundry, “Uh, I can’t wear my clothes under this or else I’ll get really hot so…”

“Yep, yep,” the mechanic turns around, continuing to gawk at the different parts as the kid gets changed. About a minute later, he hears the tyke clear his throat, signaling that he’s finished.

“So, uh, what do you think?” Peter asks, stretching as he gets used to the new material, the eyes on his mask looking all over the room.

_ This is the real Spider-Man, in all his glory. _

_ You’re perfect. _

The older hero walks up to him, his grin a mile wide, “I think that by this time tomorrow, I’m looking at the new and  _ improved _ Spider-Man.” His hands softly grip both of the boy’s shoulders, a laugh escaping him, “Ace colors?”

“Yup!” Peter takes off his mask, his hair adorably frizzing in some areas, “Hey, if I’m programmed as ace, might as well act like it, right?”

“I gotta get this on my own suit,” Tony says, taking everything in: where was red and blue is now purple and black, the webbing design is now white, along with his eyes, complete with gray surrounding them and covering both the spider emblem and web-shooters.

If no one knew Spider-Man is asexual, they’ll certainly find out tomorrow.

“How you feeling?” Tony asks, ruffling the tyke’s hair once again, pretending not to notice unshed tears glistening in the teen’s eyes.

“Uh -” Peter cuts himself off with a sniffle, looking at his purple-covered hands, “Surreal…but in the best way possible.” He looks up at his mentor, biting his lip despite the grin that’s still there, “I feel like I’m gonna wake up and this is all a dream.”

“You’re  _ living _ your dream so you’re not far off there.” Tony cups the side of the other’s neck, that fuzzy feeling coming back and increasing tenfold, “So, wanna celebrate with a burger at Chubbie’s or something?”

“Mr. Tony, I haven’t even done anything yet,” Peter says with a chuckle but seconds later, everything in him stiffens, Tony growing concerned at the sudden tenseness of his shoulder.

“Kid? -”

“You gotta get outta here,” Peter mutters, blue streaks zipping across his body once again, “Go, before anyone sees you -”

_ “Like who?” _ Says a voice that did  _ not _ come from either hero, tone dripping with smug.

Tony pushes Peter behind him, holding up his left arm and ready to blast at whoever just barged in.

Flash fucking Thompson.

The mechanic rolls his eyes, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Flash says, strolling into the room, sporting his arrogant smirk. He’s clad in civilian clothes so at least he doesn’t have web-shooters to retaliate.

The bully continues, “So, what’s the glitch doing here, playing dress-up? ‘Cuz it’s sure as hell not because he thinks he can be  _ me.” _

“Um, you’re being  _ me, _ asshole,” Peter snaps, head poking around his hero, “How’d you know we were even here?”

“I have super hearing, dumbass, I know you have like no powers anymore but are you really that stupid? I heard  _ everything _ -”

“What the fuck?” Peter says, “May banned you from the shop before you even  _ became _ Spider-Man, what the hell were you doing there?”

_ Damn, May don’t play. _

“Okay, okay, okay,” Tony cuts in, using his other hand to calm down his kid. He turns to Flash, “So, you heard everything, okay, that’s cool. So you must understand that the role of Spider-Man is rightfully Peter’s. Surely there’s a decent bone in your body  _ somewhere.” _

A sudden, unknown voice erupts, “Why should  _ he _ have to give it up?” All three parties turn to see yet another person walk in.

Quentin Beck.

Like Flash, this guy is wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, seemingly harmless but they know better.

Especially since there are three drones accompanying him.

“Shit,” Peter mumbles, curling himself behind Tony, “I’m sorry.” 

Said man shushes him, patting the tyke’s shoulder with his free hand and praying that the child’s glitch doesn't get out of control.

“Peter doesn’t want to hurt you, or anyone,” the billionaire starts, eyes shifting back and forth to the two intruders, “He just wants his name back, why are so hell-bent against that -”

He is cut off at seeing one of the drones point a red laser at him. Judging by the angle, it’s aimed right at his forehead.

Tony quickly puts his helmet back over his head, eliciting a surprising laugh from Beck, “Aw, Iron Man, you really think your cute ‘wittle’ suit can match against my high-powered drones? You really wanna try that, bud -”

“Don’t  _ bud _ me, motherfucker, what good will it do to kill me, anyway?”

“Oh, nothing, I couldn’t give less of a shit about you,” Mysterio says, casually putting his hands in his pockets, “But you mean something to the kid.” He tilts his head around Iron Man, giving said kid a sneer, “Hey, Pete, why don’tcha come out, huh? I doubt you want these drones to tempt the fate of your new friend here, am I right?”

“Peter, don’t,” Tony says lowly.

But Peter doesn’t listen. He sidesteps around his mentor and stands beside him. Tony can tell he’s trying to keep his setback at bay but the glitches aren’t going away anytime soon.

“What do you want?” the boy asks, voice rising in both fear and anger, “All of this ‘cuz you don’t want me to be Spider-Man? All of this ‘cuz you don’t want me to play a fucking  _ video game character?” _

“A character who’s gonna shut down this whole fucking game if he goes through with it,” Flash retorts.

Both heroes roll their eyes this time. Peter says, “You bragged about your super hearing and you didn’t even use it -”

_ “Can it,” _ Beck says, voice so cold that a chill goes down Tony’s spine.

The villain points right at Peter, “You’re coming with us -”

“When hell freezes over -”

“The only way I can make sure you’re not Spider-Man is if I keep a  _ very _ close eye on you, so unless you wanna see precious Tony Stark with a hole in his head,  _ you’re coming with me _ -”

He is cut off by the young hero shooting a web at said drone, the sticky substance making the contraption back up almost completely into Flash before dropping and fading out of existence.

In retaliation, the second drone points his laser at  _ Peter’s _ forehead. The final one resumes the first’s position and points its laser back at the older hero’s helmet.

_ “Now,” _ Beck starts, sounding mockingly relaxed, “If I kill a glitch in his own game, will he respawn?” He gives both heroes a smirk, “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

“Don’t fucking touch him -” Tony says, pointing his gauntlet at the drone targetting his kid.

“Or I can just chuck you into the billboard, how ‘bout that?”

“What?” The mentor-protege duo says at the same time.

_ What’s that stupid billboard got to do with anything? _

“You don’t know what the billboard is?” Flash says with a laugh, “And I thought you guys were geniuses -”

“I thought it was just a firewall,” Peter says, eyebrows narrowed in confusion, “To block out viruses, da fuck does that got to do with anything?”

“Oh,  _ poor, naive Peter,” _ Beck says, “Surely you must know about firewalls and people like you and me. Whether you’re from this game or not, you get into that sucker,” his voice lowers, “And you ain’t coming out.”

“Hold up,” Tony starts, “That fucking billboard is nothing but a  _ deathtrap?” _

“Only for people who’ve…gotten in my way. Now, Peter, have  _ you _ gotten in my way?”

The kid’s glitchiness increases tenfold, to the point where he’s shifting without his say so. Tony moves toward him but the teen disappears entirely, appearing seconds later next to the suit dropoff before he teleports again.

Appearing right next to Mysterio.

“Ah,  _ how convenient,” _ Beck says, tightly gripping onto the boy’s shoulder, “You’re coming with me -”

“Like hell!” Tony shouts, “Okay, fine, we’ll forget about the whole thing. Just let him go and we won’t do this ever again.”

“See, that’s the thing, Stark, I don’t believe you.”

Peter starts squirming to get out of the other’s grip, “Let go of me, you prick.”

“Either come with me or  _ he _ dies.” As if on command, the other drone points its laser back at Tony’s forehead, both machines glaring at its target.

Beck then turns to the other man, “Make one move and he gets the billboard.”

Panic rises in Tony’s chest as he sees everyone leaving, intent on taking the kid as their prisoner.

And he can’t do a damn thing about it.

More shit by Flash is said but he doesn't bother listening to it, retracting his helmet and just focusing his gaze on his kid.

The two of them lock eyes and Tony bores a determined stare, hoping to get the message across that he’ll find him, and they’re going to fix this.

But Peter, understandably so, is scared but he’s trying not to show it. He can hardly walk due to his glitch and if it wasn’t for Beck’s grip, he’d probably be teleporting all over this closet.

And that face is the last thing he sees before they shut the door, leaving him alone with the now useless Spider-Man suits.

So what the fuck is Tony going to do now?

-

Everyone is already out of sight when Tony opens the door, ruining his original plan of just following them.

How’d they leave that fast, the hero thinks, do drones have super speed that he didn’t know about?

He tightens his grip on his kid’s mask that was dropped in the scuffle, flying like mad back to the coffee shop.

He broke his promise to May in less than an hour, this ought to be good.

“Where does Beck operate?” the billionaire asks when he gets inside, his suit disappearing completely back into his watch to avoid suspicion. The fewer people who know all of this, the better.

The woman is going crazy with nerves, looking like she’s both about to cry and turn the place upside down like the Hulk. After a few deep breaths are out of her system, she says, “Skyline Tower, it’s where you go to defeat Mysterio, it’s the tallest building in Queens, he’s gotta be there. If not on the roof, look in the penthouse.”

“The tallest building? He’s not very discreet, is he?” Tony asks, putting the Spider-Man mask in his back jeans pocket.

“No, never was.” 

“I’m sorry -”

“No, no, I -” May stutters, “Just be careful. I don’t, I don’t, uh, I don’t know what I’d do without him, Tony. He-he’s all I got -”

Tony cuts her off with a hug, “Hey, it’s gonna be fine. He’ll be back here before the sun comes up, I know it.”

“I know you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” May says, letting out a slight giggle despite herself, "But thanks." 

After another “just be careful” sentiment from the kid’s aunt, Tony flies off again, spotting the tallest building in minutes and darting towards it while keeping an eye out for any drones lurking nearby.

Apparently, he didn't look hard enough.

He's not quite at the rooftop when a flash of red shoots past him, making him tumble to the side.

Just in time for another laser to hit him in the shoulder.

"Ah, shit!" Tony finds himself suddenly falling, gaining velocity as he desperately tries to get his thrusters working again, but to no avail.

_ This is it. _

_ The kid will be a hostage forever. _

_ And this is how I die. _

Tony closes his eyes, letting himself relax as he prepares for the inevitable.

Until his hands clutch onto a hanging clothesline. 

The line breaks instantly, of course, but seeing the articles of clothing drift to the ground snaps the hero back into survival mode. The next clothesline below is in sight and Tony grabs it, causing one end to break apart and swing him towards that Skyline building as if  _ he's _ Spider-Man.

The other end of the line breaks off mid-swing and Tony grabs hold of the nearest balcony railing, bending it due to the force but it keeps him up, thankfully.

With a grunt, the mechanic swings over the railing, falling completely on his back as he calms down, retracting his faceplate to breathe in the fresh air.

_ For the second time in less than a month, my life flashed before my eyes. _

_ If I start making that a habit, I'll die of a boring heart attack. _

His heart rate slows, ever so steadily, giving him the courage to rest at a sitting position. Another thought hits him.

He’s not dead.

The laser from that drone should’ve killed him. Beck said it would go right through his “wittle” suit.

_ Don’t I feel like a dumbass. _

The hero releases a string of curses as he tests out his mechanics: his repulsors, thrusters, everything that encompasses the technology in his suit.

Nothing.

Not even his backup power is working.

So that drone didn’t kill  _ him _ but it killed every aspect of what makes this suit a  _ superhero _ suit.

_ Wonderful. _

While Tony is grateful to not be dead, he’s also stuck. With no way to fly or fight back, he’s a sitting duck, the only way out is through the corresponding apartment. 

_ I hope no one lives here. _

The man gradually stands up, using the railing to help him. Before he can even touch the sliding door to get into the apartment, he hears a sudden shout from below him.

“You’re ruining  _ everything!”  _

Beck appears a second later, standing on top of a drone, the same position Tony saw him in when he first stumbled into his game except for the civilian clothes.

The villain continues, “When’re you gonna understand that I’m doing this to  _ help _ the kid?”

_ “Helping _ him?” Tony starts, keeping his helmet on in case of another laser attack, “How is keeping him from his birthright helping him? Since when does threatening to chuck him into a fucking billboard of  _ death _ qualify as helping him? What do you have to gain from this -”

“‘Cuz it should be  _ me!” _ Beck cries, growing red-faced with anger,  _ “I _ should be the one people cheer for,  _ I _ should be the one everyone wants a fucking signed picture of. But  _ noooo, _ it’s always the ‘Spider-Brat’ who gets all the glory, the glory that he sure as hell doesn’t deserve.”

_ Oh, I see where this is going. _

“That’s all I wanted since the beginning,” the villain continues, his voice lowering as he kneels onto the drone, “I just wanted to be liked, I wanted people to realize that I was just playing a role, y’know?”

_ Trust me, I know. _

Beck goes on, “I talked to Peter so many times after we plugged in. Once, I just want to win  _ once _ without the player losing on purpose just to end the game, or making a stupid move that leaves them kicking themselves all the way out the arcade. I just wanted to really win every once in a while, is that too much to ask?”

_ It is scaring me how much I relate to this. _

“Look,” Tony starts, trying to sound empathetic, “I get it, believe me -”

“But  _ no,” _ the other man says, cutting him off, “Peter was all like, ‘That’d just upset the player even more, we’d be unplugged by tomorrow,’ yada yada. All the brat wanted to focus on was the player, the  _ player _ has to lose, not him, the  _ player _ this, the  _ player _ that.” 

_ ‘Cuz that’s how it’s supposed to go. It’s always about the player or else  _ everyone _ will get unplugged. _

Beck groans as he concludes, “I got sick of it -”

“You got sick of  _ him,” _ Tony says sharply, “That’s why you went into the wiring, that’s why you tried to delete his code, isn’t it? And you erased everyone’s memories of your manipulation attempt to cover your tracks.”

“You really are a genius, Stark,” Mysterio says with a smirk, “But of course, I couldn’t delete his code without risk of destroying the game itself, so I left it. And the next day,” he concludes, sounding a bit  _ too _ cheerful, “‘Spider-Brat’ has a glitch.”

Tony tightens his grip on the railing to keep his anger in check, bending it almost into a thin piece of metal, “You still had to get a new Spider-Man, your efforts did nothing -”

“That’s what you think. No shit we had to get a new Spider-Man but this time, I could control who I wanted. Lucky for me, Flash wanted the job just as bad.”

“So you guys have been working together from the start.”

“Eh, not so much working as much as he follows me around like a puppy and he’s so scared to ruin this gig that he loses whenever I want him too. He’s too stupid to know  _ everything.” _

“Why are you telling me this? Why are you wasting your time?”

Beck’s mouth forms into a sneer, “I have all the time in the world,  _ you’re _ the one who’s stuck over there. Not feeling very  _ iron _ clad over there, are we, Stark?”

“I’ll make do,” Tony says, tone defiant, “Look, I’ve been in your shoes, I  _ am _ in your shoes, I get it. Being pushed aside while the other guy gets all the credit, that’s my everyday life too. I’d love to go back to being a hero, to being loved again, to have people not afraid of me anymore but I know that’s unrealistic, there’s no point in  _ fighting _ it.”

“Easy for you to say -”

“But this is a  _ kid, _ you do realize that, right? An innocent kid who deserves to be Spider-Man, deserves to be loved by everyone as much as he loves them, inside  _ and _ outside that screen.” The billionaire takes a tired breath, “So, now you just wanna take over the game as a whole, is that right? Beck, it’s a fucking  _ arcade _ game, what’s the point?”

“Wouldn’t  _ you _ want to be treated with respect -”

“Not like this. You want so desperately to be a hero that you lost sight of what  _ makes _ someone a hero. Unlike you, my want to be a hero hasn’t made me lose who I am. I’m still me despite what the players see.”

Tony continues, “You can move past this. Release the kid, let him reset, let him be Spider-Man, and you’ll be forgiven. We’ll forget about everything.”

Beck starts laughing,  _ “Aw, _ I’m touched. How stupid do you think I am?” He instructs the drone to levitate a few more feet and has it point its laser at the Iron Man helmet.

The mechanic rolls his eyes from behind the faceplate, “I already know it can’t kill me -”

“Yeah, when it hits you once. How ‘bout,” Mysterio pauses for dramatic effect, “Half a dozen times in the same spot? Say goodbye to your kid, Stark.”

_ I just escaped death like ten minutes ago, seriously? _

However, before the drone is given the command, the mechanism is hit by…something.

The villain looks down in confusion just as another blast from  _ wherever _ hits the drone once more, sending the man into freefall, his screams echoing all the way down the two skyscrapers.

Tony looks down to see another drone catch that man’s fall and send him out of sight, just when his savior comes into view from the side of the building.

The sour patch himself, War Machine.

Rhodey hovers on the other side of the balcony, the two of them retracting their faceplates. The sidekick then says, “I was looking for you, thought I’d find you here. What the  _ fuck _ is going on, man -”

“He’s taken Peter, I gotta go get him. One of his stupid drones hit my suit and I can’t do anything.”

“What about your backup?”

“It’s back at the lab, I don’t have time to get it. Can you take me to the roof?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Rhodey says, grabbing his friend’s upper arm, “Tones, what the hell have you gotten yourself into -”

“I’ll explain later,” Tony groans, “Just take me up there.”

The billionaire grabs onto his friend, wrapping his arms awkwardly around the other’s torso and instructs them to the rooftop.

To no one’s shock, the kid isn’t up here but there is a door, this one leading to the actual living quarters instead of a Spider-Man themed closet.

With War Machine in front, they check out the penthouse, guessing correctly at immediately seeing drones acting as guards by the staircase entrance. Rhodey blasts with ease and they make their way inside. Tony resists the urge to call the kid’s name in fear of triggering more of those fucking robots. 

As they sneak into the kitchen, the billionaire can’t help but notice the  _ lack _ of drones that are present. There were two guarding the apartment itself, so he was expecting the place to be full of them but they haven’t encountered anything since then.

Leaving Tony just waiting anxiously for the other shoe to drop.

“Am I the only one getting a weird vibe of this place?” Rhodey whispers.

“Nope.” Tony makes his way down this narrow hallway, forcing the two heroes into a single file. 

_ C’mon, kid, gimme something, I know your super hearing’s somewhat intact. _

They search through one bedroom and come up with nothing. Same for the second bedroom with the adjoining walk-in closet.

Is the kid even here?

_ Please be here, this is my only lead. _

This whole search is just one eerie mess until they turn another corner.

And come face to face with another fucking drone.

Its laser hits Tony square in the forehead of his faceplate and he responds with a punch in the lens, knocking it backwards and flickering into a useless floating robot before disappearing completely.

Rhodey blasts a couple more from behind his comrade’s shoulder and it’s then that an all too familiar voice is heard,  _ “Help! _ I’m stuck!”

“Peter,” Tony mumbles, rushing into the master bedroom that the drones were guarding.

“Tony, for fuck’s sake, you’re gonna get yourself killed. What if there’s more drones?”

“I have my hero next to me, so I know I’m good.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere -”

Tony shushes him at an unexpected thumping sound, something or some _one_ banging on the wall behind a closed door inside the bedroom.

_ The master bath. _

The hero barges in, seeing the source of the noise in the form of a teenage boy, sitting in between the double sinks and clad in an asexual Spider-Man suit, his kicks denting the cabinet beneath him.

Peter’s left wrist is handcuffed to a heavy iron hand towel ring, the cracks in the wall surrounding it evidence of the boy’s failed attempt at escape.

“Mr. Tony!” he cries, trying once again to pull the towel holder off the wall but to no avail.

_ Boy, his super strength would be helpful right now. _

Tony gets out of his suit while Rhodey uses his laser to break the handcuffs.

The young hero immediately engulfs his mentor into a hug, “Oh my God, are you okay?!”

“Of course I’m okay, what do you take me for?” Tony lightly quips, reciprocating the embrace, “Are you okay, they didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“No, just…my pride. I could’ve gotten outta this if I had my fucking super strength -”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Tony releases the hug, keeping his hands on the tyke’s upper arms, “You’ll get it back soon enough, where’s Flash?”

“I don’t know, he ran off scared somewhere. Beck, I don’t know what’s happened to him, he’s gone insane -”

“Yeah, I know, bud, I know. I think you’re gonna have to win sooner than you think.”

A faint streak of blue shoots across the boy’s face, Tony tightening his grip on him at hearing the incoming deep breaths, “I’m gonna be there the whole time, you know that,” the mechanic says, “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

“We both won’t,” Rhodey says from the doorway, keeping watch for any incoming drones.

Peter flinches at that, just now realizing that there was a second person who helped him, “Uh, thank you.”

The colonel retracts his helmet, giving the kid a brief smile, “So  _ you’re _ the kid this doofus is always talking about.”

Tony feels his face heat up in embarrassment, mentally giving his friend the middle finger. He sees the young hero’s eyes widen, his cheeks a shade of pink that’s probably matching his own.

“You…you talk about me?” Peter shyly asks.

“Don’t get a big head about it,” Tony answers with a smirk, ruffling his protege’s hair. With his free hand, he pulls the Spider-Man mask out of his pocket, “So, Peter Parker,” he gently puts it over the young genius’s head, “Are you ready to be Spider-Man?”

Peter takes a couple more deep breaths, his spider eyes widening as he slightly glitches. Despite the fear and doubt that has absolutely filled this kid with anxiety, his voice shows confidence, determined even.

“More than ready.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll post the last chapter later this week!! It's written but not yet edited 💜


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback, you guys are awesome!! I really hope you enjoy this last chapter!! 💜
> 
> **Trigger Warning:** The archive warning comes into play in the form of electrocution but it's not graphic (it's hardly shown honestly), minor character death
> 
> A special shoutout to [SuperHeroTiger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperHeroTiger/pseuds/SuperHeroTiger) because a comment of yours a few chapters back helped me out with this chapter more than you know, thank you so much!! 😂💜

Queens is unrecognizable.

The three heroes walk out to the rooftop to see the city overrun with a gloomy overcast of clouds, screaming civilians running through the dimly-lit streets.

And hundreds of drones filling the night sky.

“I didn’t know this many can respawn at once,” Peter whispers, his constant glitching becoming more normal with the other two heroes getting used to it.

Tony keeps the kid behind him as he takes in the current predicament, with no idea of where to go from here.

Beck wants to shut down the game, but are these drones really powerful enough to do that?

“I’m taking you guys to the entrance,” Rhodey says firmly, leaving no room for discussion, “You’re nowhere near equipped to take this on, especially with none of your tech working, Tones.”

“But I -” Peter starts but his mentor cuts him off.

“No, he’s right, kid, hang on.”

Before the teenager can say anything else, the older man has them both hanging onto Rhodey, the armored sidekick flying them to the entrance, taking advantage of the drones being too distracted by everything else to shoot them with lasers.

The mouth of the tunnel is a damn madhouse, now overcrowded with civilians evacuating the game.

Rhodey lands them near Delmar’s, the entrance too packed with people to put them anywhere closer.

But Tony starts pushing through anyway, grabbing onto his kid’s shoulder and dragging him behind, “C’mon kid, no time to lose -”

“But I can’t! Remember?” Peter says, stopping in his tracks.

The billionaire looks back at him, cursing to himself as everything clicks.

_ He can’t leave the game. _

“We have to try,” Tony states, picking up speed as he leads them through the crowd.

“Mr. Tony, it’s not gonna work,” the boy says, a hint of a whimper in his tone.

“I’ll make it work.”

_ It has to work. _

Tony races through the entrance but is jerked backward by the kid.

As he should’ve expected but refused to believe…Peter is stuck in Queens.

As everyone flees around them, the former hero tries again, taking his hand and trying his damndest to pull him into the “In-Between Station” but it’s no use.

“I can’t!” Peter finally shouts, concluding in a hopeless quiver, “I can’t leave the game.” He puts both hands up against the tunnel’s entrance, looking up at Tony through those wide “spider eyes.”

The older hero slowly walks to his protege, not caring or even processing the people running, screaming, bumping into him.

Because his kid can’t join them.

Rhodey is hovering off to the side, having no clue what to make of this awful situation, “Tones, we have to go, the game’s shutting down -”

_ “No.” _ Tony retracts his helmet as he looks at his friend, giving him a somber expression, “I’m not leaving him -”

Peter cuts him off, taking off his own mask, “Mr. Tony, you  _ have _ to go.” He tries to push him through the tunnel but the man doesn’t budge, the suit too heavy to manipulate.

“I’m not leaving you here alone,” the billionaire says, ignoring the tremble in his own voice.

“Mr. Tony,” the child starts, sounding seemingly relaxed but the glitching gives everything away, “I’ll be okay -”

“No -”

_ “Yes,” _ the boy’s breathing starts coming out uneven, “I’ll be fine.”

Tony gently grips the other’s shoulders, one armored hand moving to cup the boy’s neck, ruffling his hair at the nape of it. He gives this guy a fond smile for the last time.

_ When hell freezes over. _

“We’ll figure something out. You’re gonna  _ win, _ damn it,” he says, turning to the colonel, “Get me my backup suit.”

Rhodey sighs exasperatedly, breaking off a couple of pieces of his armor and tossing it to his two comrades, “Protect yourself as best as you can, especially you, Tony. I’ll go get the others.” He then flies through the tunnel above the last of the evacuating civilians.

It’s just the two of them now but Tony tries not to think about that.

“What are these?” Peter asks.

“Some backup repulsors. Let’s blast some drones, shall we?”

An unexpected third voice answers, “Not without me.”

They turn to see May rushing over to them with Ned not far behind. The woman pulls her nephew into a hug, “I’m not leaving you here, don’t even try it.”

“But May -”

“I said what I said, hush,” May counters, her voice hitching up at the end. She lets go and cups her kid’s face, using her other arm to wipe a tear falling down her cheek, “What can I do?”

_ “Huh?” _

“You heard me,  _ what can I do?” _ She lets go fully and turns to the other hero, “Gimme something, I’m not about to just stand here.”

“I -” Peter cuts himself off at the shock, handing his aunt that repulsor, “Do you know how?”

“I’ll learn.”

“I want one too,” Ned cuts in.

“No,” Peter says, walking to him, “I’ll be okay, just leave so I know you’re safe,  _ please, _ babe.” 

Tony’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

_ Babe? _

Ned’s eyes widen in fear, “Peter, I can’t just leave you here -”

“I know you wanna help but trust me, you’ll be better off in there. You don't want your mom worrying about you, do you?”

“But Peter -”

Said kid cuts him off with a kiss, shocking both adults even more than they already were.

_ Aw, he went for it. _

_ About fucking time, jeez. _

“I’m gonna be fine, I promise,” Peter says, giving the other teenager a hug.

With another little kiss, Ned reluctantly leaves, keeping his gaze on his boyfriend until he’s in the tunnel.

Peter puts on his mask once again, turning to the older hero, “So, uh, what do we do -”

“You are  _ so _ telling us about that later,” May says with a light smile.

_ Because there  _ will _ be a later. _

“May,” Tony says, “Start taking down some drones. Kid, do the same with your webs.”

“What are you gonna do?” the spider-boy asks.

“Find the rat bastard behind this,” Tony says, his helmet forming over his face once again.

_ And kill him. _

_ Somehow. _

“But your suit’s not working,” Peter exclaims, already webbing some nearby drones.

“But this gun is.” Tony immediately starts shooting at drones, forming a path to take him through Queens, “Stay here, guard the entrance, the others oughta be here soon.”

The kid’s “spider eyes” widen, “The  _ Avengers?!” _

The former hero doesn’t hear him, already charging at these annoying killer robots. Plenty go down but he feels lasers form little dents into his suit as well.

Tony doesn’t even know if Beck will be at that same tower, he wasn’t there when they were on the rooftop but he could’ve easily been in hiding. If he was smart, he wouldn’t be there, anyway.

_ But something tells me this guy’s IQ is about the same as each of these damn drones. _

So he sticks with his gut, running as fast as he can while shooting, punching, even kicking any mini machines that are in his way, protecting that lone repulsor like his life depends on it.

And well, it does.

Then a thought hits him.

_ Why take the stairs when a drone can fly me up there? _

Tony starts looking above, picking a random one within reach and grabbing on. He has no time to climb because it starts moving towards that tower but it sways to the left, causing him to jump to another drone. This one is moving straight ahead, the man thanking his manufacturer that his suit is made out of metal so the lasers won’t actually affect him.

_ Again, Beck lied about these things killing me through my suit. _

_ Thank fuck. _

He jumps from drone to drone as if it’s a dangerous game of “The Floor is Lava”, soon ending up hanging on yet another railing and knocking over someone’s mini herb garden.

_ This would be so much easier if the kid had his damn spider powers. _

The former hero swings over and punches his way into the apartment, the eerie quietness giving him the assumption that whoever lived here has already evacuated. 

He takes the stairs and climbs the last few floors to the rooftop, red lasers pointing at him before the door even closes.

And there, on the other side of the roof, Mysterio lies in wait.

_ So he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, his ass had to pick the tallest building in Queens. _

_ Again. _

_ Well, he wanted the limelight, he got his wish.  _

“Should’ve known you’d come,” Beck starts, strutting to the center of the rooftop, “I’d leave if I were you.”

The villain has decided to dress up for this “momentous” occasion, clad in his suit and fishbowl helmet like in the actual game.

_ Might as well go out in style, I guess. _

“Why are you doing this?” Tony asks, taking a few steps forward, “You wanna be a good guy so bad that you’re destroying your own game, that makes  _ perfect _ sense -”

“If I can’t be the good guy, no one can. Surely you must know what’s that like.”

“No,  _ hell _ no. Getting pissed off at a character arc isn’t near the same thing as all of this. Not once have I ever thought about ruining my game and killing the people with it.”

“Get off your high horse, everyone’s leaving -”

“Yeah, but at what cost? The “In-Between Station” isn’t big enough for everyone, where are they gonna go? Live on the streets in my game, or in the tunnels at  _ Tapper? _ You may be ‘gracious’ enough not to kill them but you’re killing their livelihoods, you might as well call it killing them.”

“Look at you all high and mighty -”

“Look at  _ you _ doing all this shit over a fucking video game. The only thing Peter wants is his name, to do what he was created to do. Wouldn’t you want that if you were in his position?”

“But I’m not, Stark, I’m in  _ this _ position, and if you don’t leave right fucking now, your dumbass is going down with it -”

“Like Peter? He’s going down regardless, you want that on your conscience? And you’re going down with it too, ever thought about that -”

“I’m giving you one chance!” Beck shouts, pointing his finger at the other man, “Villain to villain, you have one chance to leave -”

“Not happening, because unlike you, I only  _ play _ a villain. But if you stop, if you call all this off, you won’t be one anymore. You can be the good guy you’ve always wanted to be.”

“Don’t you get it, Stark?” Beck says with a disbelieving laugh, “I can’t come back from this, and why would I want to? This is the most power I’ve had since the game plugged in, everyone is now at my  _ mercy.” _

_ Oh my God, can you die already? _

Before Tony can respond, he hears the sound of thrusters in the distance. He looks past Mysterio’s shoulder to see his best friend flying towards him, complete with the spider-kid in tow.

_ Peter, what the fuck are you doing? _

Rhodey drops Peter onto the rooftop, Beck turning to him in shock.

Well, Tony assumes it’s shock but he can’t see the other’s head in that damn fishbowl so who knows what that guy is thinking.

Using the unexpected entrance as a distraction, the billionaire sees his friend lifting his arm to just above his ear, giving the notion that he’s about to throw something.

_ My backup suit. _

Rhodey throws the compacted ball and Tony gets out of his dud suit, the object attaching to his hand and the new armor expanding to the rest of his body. The act causes a drone to fire but he tumbles out of the way before it hits him.

He instantly blasts his new repulsor at Beck but a drone flies in at the last minute, sacrificing itself for its master.

The mechanic then sees his comrade flying like mad to avoid blasts from the machines, hearing Rhodey’s voice through the communicator in his suit, “Gang’s all here, what do you want us to do?”

_ Wait,  _ everyone’s _ here? _

_ Even Steve? _

“Uh,” Tony starts, using his dead suit as a shield to dodge a few lasers as he answers, “Take down as many drones as you can, keep them from blocking the entrance. They block the entrance, the game shuts down.”

“Roger that,” the colonel says. With a heartfelt “be careful”, he flies back to the tunnel, with his friend tempted to ask him to stay but refraining since he’ll be safer there than here.

Peter is webbing every drone he comes across, some of them on accident when he was aiming for Beck. 

“Kid, what the  _ hell _ are you doing here?” Tony asks.

“I have to  _ win, _ remember? Staying at the entrance won’t do shit.” The boy tumbles away from another drone’s fire, “Oh my God, this would be an  _ amazing _ night if Queens wasn’t about to die.”

Tony rebuts, ignoring the last comment, “But you’ll be  _ safe _ -”

“Which doesn’t mean anything if it means I don’t win.”

Tony sighs despairingly, taking down another drone, “Just be careful, we’ll figure out something. How’d you take him down in the game again?”

“Uh,” Peter briefly pauses, taking a look at all of those damn killer robots, “Destroy his drones first,” he says, fear evident in his tone.

_ Shit, no wonder we can’t get to him. _

A maniacal laugh from the man in question cuts through them like knives, “Get out while you still can,  _ Petey-Pie, _ don’t wanna hurt that ‘precious’ glitch of yours.”

“I’m gonna throw up,” said boy mutters.

_ Shit, me too. _

“I’m stuck here with  _ you,” _ Peter says, raising his voice, “It can’t hurt any worse than that.” He shoots another web at the villain but another drone takes the fall, its image fading to pixels as it falls before disappearing completely.

More and more of those come robots to Mysterio’s aid. When one is taken down, two replace it, it seems. Each shot and web towards Beck is magically blocked, leaving this seemingly average man invincible.

“Why don’tcha fight us like a real man, huh?” Tony says, “You’re nothing without these fucking drones behind you.”

“There’s something you gotta know about me, Stark,” Beck starts, voice sounding casual to show off his arrogance, “I don’t care what this makes me look like. From where I’m standing, both of you just look like idiots, along with all your precious friends trying to save your ass.”

“You talk of big game despite standing like you’re watching a damn concert.”

“Oh, but I am.” Mysterio shouts at one of his drones, instructing it to shoot the other man and Tony dodges the blast just in time, rolling towards the kid while Spider-Man webs it down.

The same routine continues, almost tedious now since both heroes are losing energy.

Which means they have to come up with another strategy.

But the question is:  _ what is it? _

The only slim possibility that Tony can think of is if they can successfully destroy every drone in Queens, using the short margin of time for Peter to defeat him before they start to respawn.

But they have such a limited number of allies against a large body of Queens.

His hopes are then dwindled to about rock bottom when Steve addresses him through the comms, “Stark, they’re respawning.”

_ “What?” _ Tony says, dodging yet another drone while using his other suit as a shield.

“I swear I just saw one reappear. I don’t know how fast they’re coming back but  _ they’re coming back, _ Tony.” Cap’s voice lowers significantly, “We can’t stop them, it might as well be called a ‘suicide mission.’”

Panic rises in the other man’s chest, doing what he can to not let Peter on to what he just heard.

All of this was a waste of time.

No matter how many they kill, more will appear in its place.

_ Mysterio really is invincible. _

“What do you want us to do?” Steve asks.

_ Shit. _

_ What  _ do _ I want us to do? _

“Get outta here,” Tony says, ignoring the surprised look from his kid, “Get back to safety, I’ll be there soon.”

“But Tony -”

_ “End of discussion,” _ the billionaire states, ignoring the protests from his other teammates, “Everyone can hear me, right? Go home.”

“Mr. Tony?” Peter asks, webbing up a couple more drones before quickly replacing fluid in his web-shooters, “What’s happening?”

“We gotta think of something else.”

“Like what?”

“Yeah, Iron Man,” Mysterio cuts in, mocking him as he says, “Like  _ what?” _

“Do you remember any moves, Spider-Man?” Tony asks, ignoring the other man.

“Yeah, but I haven’t exactly done them in a while.” Peter glitches slightly as he takes down another drone, this time swinging his web until that drone crashes into another one.

_ Holy shit, that’s brilliant. _

“Do that again,” the former hero mutters, praying Mysterio can’t hear them, “That thing you just did.”

The spiderling’s eyes squint in confusion but he obliges, doing the same thing with taking down two at once. He looks back at his mentor in surprise, now understanding where he’s getting at, “I’ll circle around.”

The two of them go their separate ways, keeping Beck in their center. Peter continues webbing and dodging like normal until he’s about in position, webbing up a drone and smashing it into another.

Right at the time Tony takes fire.

It doesn’t work but it catches the villain by surprise so they increase their speed, with Tony blasting right when Peter smashes the drones blocking him. The man can tell that Beck is starting to panic, especially since new drones aren’t soaring in as fast as they once were.

The mechanic takes to the sky once again, trying to aim for Mysterio while also killing any drones around him before he gets hit with one again.

But thank God, something finally happens and it has nothing to do with Tony.

Peter webs up a drone and crashes it into another one just like he’s been doing.

And like the “domino effect”, it hits Mysterio in his fishbowl of a face.

Beck goes soaring, curses echoing through the sky. The teenager races to him while his mentor blasts the surrounding drones, giving him somewhat of a path.

The young hero’s arms are moving a mile a minute as he webs the villain into a cocoon, even taking off the helmet and webbing his mouth shut to stop the incessant yelling.

Right when Beck lost his ability to talk, those robot things lose their ability to move.

They just…stop.

And just like that, Queens is silent, so much so that it’s eerie.

No more whirring, lasers, or clicks they use for aim.

But nothing is happening, the game hasn’t reset.

_ So, what do we do now? _

“I won, what the hell?” Peter says, getting up, “I don’t…feel anything.”

Tony hears another voice through the communicator in his helmet, “You guys okay up there, what happened?”

“Nat?” the man says, “The hell are you guys still doing here?”

“You thought we were actually gonna leave, what do you take us for?”

The genius looks over the rooftop, using the zooming feature on his helmet to get a closer look at the entrance.

All of his teammates are there, along with May, guarding the tunnel as they sidestep cautiously around these drones, trying to make sense as to what just happened.

_ They stayed. _

_ They risked their lives for this. _

_ For me. _

“Stark, what happened?” Natasha repeats, snapping her comrade out of his thoughts, “What do you need us to do?”

“Uh, I wish I knew,” Tony looks back at Beck and the kid, “Peter won, but the game hasn’t reset and we don’t know why.”

Beck laughs despite the webbing that’s covering his mouth, “You’  _ ne’er _ win, ‘Spi’er-Brat,” he says. He then turns to one of the nearby drones, “Ki’ ‘em.”

But the drones don’t do anything, not a single laser to be shot.

Mysterio tries again, “Ki-Ki’ th’m! Shu’ ‘em!”

Not a single machine obeys.

_ The commands aren’t clear enough because of the webbing. _

_ Oh, fuck yes.  _

“Tell me what to do,” Peter says, taking off his mask and exposing his beet-red face, no doubt filled with anger. He kneels down next to Mysterio but keeps his distance, “You’re done, asshole, you have nowhere to go so  _ what the fuck do I do?” _

“Tak’ ou’  _ thith,” _ Beck points at his mouth, “An’ I’ll te’ ya.”

“Bullshit, you think I’m that stupid?” The web-slinger gets back up and starts pacing around the now stationary drones, his anger turning into panic, “Mr. Tony, I don’t know what to do, how do we get the game back?”

Tony is at a loss. They’re there, they’re right at the finish line and Peter just beat Mysterio despite his lack of powers. Shit, he can’t even celebrate just participating in a battle  _ as _ Spider-Man for the first time in almost three years.

_ What’s the secret, what are we missing? _

The scientist looks back at the entrance, seeing his friends taking down drones around them in case they suddenly come back to life, brainstorming as fast as his mind possibly can.

“This is so weird,” Peter says, looking back at Beck, “He’s the bad guy, I took down the  _ bad guy, _ why is nothing happening?”

_ Bad guy. _

_ In any game, you win once you take down the bad guy. _

_ So Peter took down the bad guy, but he didn’t win. _

_ Unless - _

“What if he’s  _ not _ the bad guy?” Tony mutters, retracting his faceplate. He looks at the man in question and notes how big his eyes have gotten.

_ I’m on the right track, aren’t I? _

“What do you mean?” his protege asks.

“You took down the bad guy, you’re supposed to win. Why haven’t you won?”

“But -  _ what? _ That’s not possible, if he’s not the bad guy then who is?”

“It’s still him, no doubt,” the mechanic says, kneeling down to get a better look at this guy, “But what if it’s not  _ him?” _ He sees Beck hastily shaking his head, trying to wiggle his way out of the young hero’s webbing but it’s stuck to him, leaving  _ him _ as the sitting duck for a change.

“You mean what if Mysterio’s not Mysterio?” Peter asks, eyes shifting between the two men, “How’s that possible?” 

“Oh, it’s definitely possible,” Tony says, voice lowering to a murmur as he concentrates. He thinks back to that conversation he had on that balcony, how much Beck wanted power and how he would do anything to get it.

Even if it meant giving a sixteen-year-old kid a life-altering transformation.

“All you want is power,” the billionaire states, locking eyes with the villain, “You don’t give a shit about the game itself, you just want everyone to bow before  _ you, _ you want the hero-worship all to yourself.” His eyes squint as a dark thought hits him, “How  _ do _ you know about that billboard, Beck?”

He hears Peter gasp from next to him, “You don’t think -”

“We won’t know until he says something,” Tony says, “So why don’tcha remove all doubt, ‘Becky-boy’? What happened to the Mysterio that came before you? He better not be where I think he’s at.”

A menacing laugh confirms the man’s suspicions, making a chill go right to the bone.

“W’ldn’ you li’ t’ know?” Beck mumbles, another laugh escaping him.

“You’d make the easiest replacement,” the teen says, “No one ever sees your face.” A few blue stripes streak across his chest as he takes deep breaths, the heaviness of what he just learned starting to settle, “Who’s the real Mysterio?” he asks angrily.

_ “That’s _ why you took everyone’s memories when you tried to delete Peter’s code, isn’t it?” Tony says, “After you killed him with that deathtrap, you had to destroy the evidence, and what better way than to make everyone forget about him?”

Beck only continues to laugh, “You’ ne’ver know. ‘Tis my l’gacy.”

“Oh my God.” Peter starts pacing yet again, pushing the still drones out of the way, “The billboard, that’s how I win. The first Mysterio died from the billboard but his mechanics are still in the wiring. He’s still technically the bad guy, that’s why I didn’t win after taking down  _ this _ Mysterio.” His voice carries to a whisper, “That’s how the game gets reset.”

_ Oh, shit. _

The first Mysterio met his demise by being sucked into that sign…it only makes sense for  _ this _ Mysterio to meet that same fate.

_ But holy shit, is Peter capable of that? _

Tony turns to the kid who’s still pacing around the rooftop, raking his fingers through his hair and mumbling something the man can’t make out.

He gets up and walks over to him, keeping an eye on Beck in case a miracle happens and he gets out of those webs. The older genius stops the kid with a soft touch on his shoulder, eyes softening at seeing Peter’s worried ones.

“I -” the spider-boy stutters, “I can’t, I can’t, what if he’s just bullshitting us?”

“Then how did that first Mysterio pass away?” Tony asks.

“I don’t know, I - maybe he dragged him to another game and-and um, yeah.”

“But that’s too much of a risk. There’d be more witnesses and unless he went to that game too and messed with their wiring, I think he’s telling the truth.”

Peter crosses his arms in front of him, almost wrapping them around himself as he tries to calm down, “He’s an idiot for telling us this thing exists at all.”

“Yeah, yeah he is,” Tony says with an ever so slight snicker, both at the comment and the groans of protest from the befallen villain. His tone then turns solemn, “What do you want to do?”

He pulls the shaking kid closer to him, blocking his view of the other man and hoping that by Peter not seeing him, it will soften the blow.

“We have to do it,” the spiderling says with a slight whimper,  _ “I _ have to do it but I  _ can’t _ -”

“Hey, hey, I got an idea, do you trust me?” At Peter’s nod, Tony puts his faceplate back into place, talking over the comms, “Rhodey, I need you up here, buddy.”

After hearing an affirmative, the former hero walks to Beck, trying not to let the muffled shouts of fear get to him, “I wish there was another way,” he says, “But you made your bed, now you gotta lie in it.” He kneels down and knocks the guy out with one armored punch.

_ At least now he can die peacefully. _

Rhodey appears on the rooftop seconds later and Tony immediately gives him instructions, “Peter’s gonna hold onto you while we carry this guy to the billboard over there.”

The soldier retracts his helmet, following his friend’s point to the large sign that still says “Welcome to Queens” despite the influx of the not so welcoming drones.

“What?” he asks, turning back to the former hero, “Why a billboard?”

“Long story, we’ll explain on the way. C’mon, let’s do this before he wakes up.” 

Peter puts on his mask and climbs onto Rhodey’s back. In any other situation, he probably would’ve loved to be soaring the sky with freaking War Machine, the former hero thinks, but the situation is much too pensive to make any light of it.

The boy wraps his arms around the armored sidekick’s neck as both men pick up the unconscious Mysterio with ease. They fly to the billboard, stopping in mid-air about twenty feet from it. Tony can hear question after question coming from his other teammates so he puts his comm on mute to concentrate.

“Tones, no offense,” Rhodey says, blasting a few drones to get a clear view of the sign, “But we look like we’re about to start some kind of weird-ass ritual, can we just do this or what?”

“You can’t do it, the kid has to.”

“What do I do?” Peter asks, tightening his grip on the colonel.

“I know you can’t support his weight, so when I give the word, you’re gonna toss him into that billboard.”

_ “What?! _ Are you crazy -”

“Probably, but I’d rather toss him from here than be right next to it and risk getting sucked in ourselves.”

_ How did that not ever happen with Flash? _

Peter’s breathing starts teetering, “Oh my God -”

“Hey, Pete,” Tony retracts his helmet, giving him a determined look, “Do you trust me?” he asks, repeating what he said earlier.

Peter nods once more, a few streaks of blue coursing through him, “H-How am I gonna toss him?”

“Swing to the front and grab onto Beck’s feet, Rhodey can hold on to you.”

“Okay…okay.”

The motion is awkward but the two heroes oblige, the teenager soon gripping onto the villain’s legs and Rhodey’s hands wrap around the boy’s torso, keeping him in place.

“Alright, on the count of three, I’m gonna let go and you’re gonna throw him.”

The glitching increases tenfold, the shaky breaths making it obvious of the kid’s growing anxiety, “Okay. Okay, let’s do it.”

“One.” Tony hovers closer to Beck’s head, keeping a firm grip, “Two,” he coaxes Rhodey a little closer so the kid can be holding onto the middle instead of the villain’s legs.

The billionaire finally concludes, “Three.”

He lets go and Peter tosses, a bit sloppy due to the sudden uptick of weight but it works enough to fit Tony’s plan.

While in mid-air, the mechanic shoots his repulsor at Beck, blasting him almost to the center of that damn billboard.

He then quickly grabs the kid, holding him close and burying Peter’s face into the crook of his neck so he doesn’t have to see…whatever the fuck is about to happen.

Tony tightens his grip as the glitching worsens, lightly shushing him, “It’s alright, it’s alright, you did so good, Pete.  _ You did so good.” _

Beck slams into the sign, “Welcome to Queens” now just a mess of silent static as lightning strikes fill the billboard. He remains insentient as the shockwaves filter through him.

In just minutes, the villain’s form disappears completely, forever in pixelated pieces beyond that firewall, masked by the returned greeting of “Welcome to Queens.”

Then, like a light switch, everything changes.

The drones disappear, a clear dawn sky replaces the gloomy clouds, and the street lights of Queens brighten exponentially.

But Tony can’t focus on any of that.

His eyes are only on his kid.

His kid who is now hovering in mid-air, surrounded by some kind of sparkly mist that’s slowly spinning him in a circle.  _ “Oh my God,” _ the boy exclaims.

“What the fuck?” Rhodey mutters, in regards to both the kid and the split-second game renovation, “Now  _ this _ is something you don’t see every day.”

Tony doesn’t say anything, his mind completely checked out as he hovers just under the tyke, at the ready for whenever the reset is complete and needs someone to catch him.

Another suit gradually forms over the ace one. What was purple and black before is now the standard red and blue like on the game’s console. From head to toe, the mist completes his transformation, dropping him slowly into his father figure’s arms.

“What the - oh my God,” the spider-boy says, taking deep breaths, “I -  _ holy shit!” _

Tony takes off the other’s mask, along with the purple one underneath, and lays them on the kid’s stomach, “How you feeling?” he asks, flying them away from the sign. With Rhodey close behind, they soar towards the entrance, now packed with people fighting their way back in. Someone must’ve let everyone know the game has reset, he thinks.

“I feel fucking  _ awesome. _ Like I know I have my powers back because I feel…whole again, I don’t have that empty feeling anymore.” The teenager gives his mentor a hug, not caring that both masks fall to the ground. He wraps his arms around the armor and tucks his head under the other’s chin, “And I’m sticky again! I can stick to you without being scared I’ll fall.”

“That’s amazing, kiddo, I’m so proud of you.” Despite knowing the stickiness ability, Tony keeps a tight grip on his kid, irrational paranoia clogging the logical part of his brain.

However, the child’s excitement unexpectedly turns subdued, “Daniel Berkhart.”

“What?”

“The first Mysterio, his name was Daniel Berkhart.”

_ Oh yeah, the game reset their memories too. _

“He was a nice guy,” Peter continues, “Nothing like who he played, nothing like Beck. He didn’t deserve that -”

“Hey,” Tony gently nudges the child so he can look at him directly, “I’m sorry for your loss, I know this victory is kinda bittersweet. I didn't know this guy but if he’s as nice as you say he is, then I’d think he’d want you to celebrate today. Think of this as getting justice served - for both you  _ and _ him.”

Peter nods his head, “Oh my God, I’m Spider-Man again, I -” he cuts himself off with an exasperated laugh, “I never thought this would happen.” A streak of blue shoots along his arm, letting both of them know that the glitch is still there despite the reset.

“Well,” the teen says, inspecting his arm, “Some things never change.”

“Hey, it’s part of your charm now. ‘Spidey’s’ got a new superpower.”

“Yeah, let’s call it that,” the spiderling responds with a snort, gripping onto his father figure as the man lands them in the center of an intersection, a place where everyone is flocking to and no buildings are blocking their view.

And they’re nowhere near that damn billboard.

Peter lets go and is immediately engulfed in a hug from his aunt, whispering words of pride and encouragement between her sobs. 

The population of Queens gathers around them, both to get a look at the new and improved Spider-Man and to see what the fuck is going on. The two armored heroes hold everyone back to keep from overcrowding.

“Tony?”

The man in question turns to his left to see Captain America fighting his way through the crowd, clad in his suit sans the headpiece with his dented shield limp at his side, “So the glitch is no longer a glitch, huh?” he says once he’s next to his teammate.

_ Biting my tongue, biting my tongue…. _

“He still glitches, that’s not going away but he reset the game. He’s back to normal.” The billionaire turns back to the kid, a proud smile on his face as he sees him giving his now  _ boyfriend, _ apparently, another kiss.

_ Oh, he’s  _ so _ telling me about that later. _

“That’s a,” Cap starts, “That’s a cool thing you did, helping him out like that.”

Tony’s head snaps back to his rival, eyebrows raised to his hairline in shock.

_ Did Steve fucking Rogers just give me a compliment? _

_ Did the game reset him too? _

“Um,” the mechanic says, fumbling to think of what words to say since his brain has short-circuited, “The credit all goes to the kid,” he says, looking back at Peter, now giving hugs to everyone he comes across: Delmar, that ice cream owner, random people Tony recognized in passing. Everyone is nothing short of ecstatic.

Well, except one.

“It’s not fair!” Flash whines, forcing his way into the circle,  _ “How? _ How are  _ you _ Spider-Man when you glitch every five seconds? Gimme back my suit.”

“Don’t make me come over there -” May starts but her nephew cuts her off, stopping her from charging at the kid.

“May, he’s irrelevant, it’s not worth it,” Peter says.

“Face it, Flash,” Ned says, crossing his arms, giving him a smug smile, “You lost. Time to eat your words.”

“He won’t last anyway,” Flash says, “One play and you’re done, you’ll just glitch out of existence.”

Tony starts to head over there to knock some sense into this punk when Peter saves him the trouble, “Is that any way to talk to your  _ king?” _ he says with a smirk.

The bully releases a long, dramatic groan, “What- _ever,”_ and with that, he trudges back into the crowd, weaving through the whoops and cheers.

Peter turns to his father figure, “Now  _ that’s _ gonna be fun.”

Tony snickers as he turns back to his fellow Avenger, “I was just there for moral support, this is all him. He’s a great kid,” he gushes.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Steve says, a ghost of a smile briefly spreading across his face, “That ‘fishbowl’ guy or whatever would still be around if it weren’t for you, that alone is worth celebrating.”

_ Yep, the game reset him too, change my mind. _

“Um…thanks, Steve,” the genius says, “That means a lot coming from you.”

_ Did we just like, make a truce or something? _

_ Damn, this is one hell of a wild night. _

Before either hero can say anything further, Clint walks up, wafting his way through the mound of people, “Stark, I don’t know what the hell that was but that was  _ badass, _ man. How does it feel to be a hero again?”

That gives Tony pause.

A  _ hero? _

_ Shit, I forgot about that. _

Sure, the man wanted to help Peter but in the beginning, he considered the “heroness” as part of a bonus once all of that was said and done.

But by the end, the word “hero” was the farthest thing from his mind.

He just wanted to help his kid.

“The same,” Tony finally concludes with a smile, “I’m glad I could make a difference but honestly? My ‘hero’ quota has reached its limit.”

And he meant it.

As fun as it was when he was a hero on  _ The Avengers, _ knowing that he truly helped someone he loves and cares about is more fulfilling than his past ten years acting as Iron Man.

He wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world.

“Damn,” Clint says, “Did this game change you too?”

_ I hope for the better. _

“I think it just made me realize how  _ tiring _ it is to be a hero. I’ll just stick to being a guy who likes to eat scones with a kid and his aunt.”

Their conversation is stopped at a sudden shout from the crowd, “Who’s the new Mysterio?”

More people follow, their tones growing with apprehension and slight excitement, “Tell us who the new Mysterio is!” “Who’re you gonna pick, Spider-Man?”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Peter shouts, raising his hands in the air to calm everyone down, “Gimme a second.” He then swings to the nearest support he sees: the top of a carport that covers the entrance of a diner, the nearby lights shining the smile that’s still plastered on his face.

"Okay, before anyone says anything, I already made a decision."

_ Wait, what? _

_ How? He's been Spider-Man for less than ten minutes, how has he already thought of a replacement? _

More unintelligible roars erupt from the crowd below. Peter holds up one hand to settle them and the other shoots a web at something past Tony's line of vision.

Mysterio's costume that must've already respawned.

The young hero grabs the fishbowl, dropping the rest of the outfit, and asks as he searches through the crowd, “Mr. Delmar, where are you?”

_ The sandwich guy? _

Gasps and shouts of confusion filter through the mob of people, the man’s face looking the same as the crowd as he walks to the center.

“Uh, Peter?” Delmar asks, “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

“I am,” the kid says with a smile. He jumps back down with ease, standing in front of him, “When Mr. Tony told me about Beck, I immediately started thinking about who can replace him. You’re the first person that came to mind.”

“Peter,” the deli owner says, eyes widening, “Peter, I can’t do this -”

“Yes, you can, I know you can. You said you wanted this job or something more exciting -”

“That was just talk -”

“But I know it really wasn’t. I know it’s a lot, it’s this whole new thing and it’s new for me too, kinda, we can learn together. I truly can’t think of anyone better for this job than you, that is if you want to do it.”

Delmar looks back and forth between the fishbowl and the teenager holding it, showing that he’s deep in thought, “What about the shop?”

“Can you find a replacement? Do you  _ want _ to find a replacement? If you still wanna make sandwiches after the arcade is closed or in between plays, that’s cool too.”

“What if I fail? I’m making sandwiches all the time, I never really knew what went on -”

“I’ll teach you, I’ll make Flash teach you. I mean, you’re gonna make mistakes starting out, that’s normal, you don’t need to worry about that, I can help you. So, what do you say? Do you want to do this?”

Again, the older man’s eyes move side to side, gravitating more to the helmet than not. His lips purse into a thin line as he contemplates this decision, the people of Queens going dead quiet in anticipation.

_ Why am I so invested in this? _

Tony sidesteps around people to get a better look at the situation, his skin prickly with goosebumps. He locks eyes with Frank in the crowd and the guy takes off, pushing people out of his way.

_ I’ll deal with  _ you _ later. _

Finally, Delmar takes a deep breath, a laugh escaping him as he holds out his hands, “You’re looking at the new Mysterio.” More gasps elicit from the crowd as he gently takes the helmet from Peter, gawking at the headpiece.

“Now I know the bad guy role,” the spiderling says, “Is in  _ good guy _ hands.”

The people of Queens welcome the new villain by erupting in applause, cheering him on as he tries on the helmet, “Do I look good or do I look good?” he says.

“So good it’s  _ bad,” _ Peter says, snickering at his own pun.

“How long did it take to come up with that one?” Tony asks, walking up to his kid.

“About five seconds. I think it’s a new record.”

The older hero ruffles the other’s hair, turning to the new Mysterio, “So, trading in your spatula for a fishbowl, huh? Can you actually see outta that thing?”

“Surprisingly yeah,” the other man says, “I think clearer than without this thing even.”

_ Huh, the lens on that can make some killer glasses. _

_ Next time, Tony, next time. _

“Congratulations,” Tony says, his armored hand outstretched, “Maybe I’ll catch you in action sometime.”

“Likewise,” Delmar shakes his hand, taking off the helmet with his other one, “Thank you, Iron Man, Spider-Man, for everything.” 

Instead of shaking his hand, Peter gives him a hug, “You deserve it.”

“Tony,” Cap calls out from the other side of the circle, “The arcade’s gonna open soon, we have to go.” 

The billionaire looks towards the bridge, seeing the sun rising over the horizon which tells them the arcade will be open within the next hour or so.

They all say their goodbyes and make their way to the tunnel, with Peter in tow because he wanted to walk his father figure to the entrance.

“You guys go ahead,” Tony says, “I’ll be there soon.”

Steve looks like he’s about to argue but Nat’s spear stops him, using it to push him into the tunnel and back to their game.

Tony and Peter face each other, the former admiring the new suit, “I like the red and blue, looks good.”

“Yeah,” the boy says with a shrug, looking at the spandex himself, “But it doesn’t feel ‘me.’” He presses the spider emblem on his chest, causing it to loosen enough where it’s easier to undress, revealing his asexual suit. He slips out of the red and blue one and kicks it off to the side, “I kinda like this one better.”

“Me too.” The scientist grabs the teen by one of his shoulders, “Kid -”

The other surprises him with a hug, the same position as before with his arms wrapped around his mentor’s torso and head tucked under Tony’s chin, “Thank you.”

The older hero hugs back, that fuzzy feeling only getting warmer.

And he never wants that to go away.

“Anytime,” he says, a smile breaking out across his face as he rests his chin atop the tyke’s head, “You’re worth it and then some.” 

Peter then says, “Y’know, there’s an empty apartment next to mine and May’s.” He lets go just enough to look at Tony but still wrapped in the embrace, “It’s been empty ever since we plugged in, so you can stay if you want. I know it’s not like the tower but you won’t be treated like shit and you don’t have to deal with Steve. Mr. Tony, you can be  _ happy.” _

_ Nope, those are not tears…I just have allergies. _

_ Honest. _

Tony ruffles the tyke’s hair, his heart lifting at the thought of being able to do that forever, “I  _ am _ happy, bud. I’m friends with the best superhero in the world, I can’t get happier than that.” 

He continues, letting go of the boy completely, “But I have a job to do too. It may be a bad guy but  _ those _ guys need me,” the billionaire tilts his head towards the tunnel, “Along with everyone else in Manhattan. So,” he gently cups his kid’s neck, “I’ll see you later?”

Peter nods his head, his own eyes glistening with  _ just allergies, _ “You may play a bad guy but you saved Queens. You’re their hero.”

“So are you -”

“You’re  _ my _ hero. Just, um, just never forget that, okay?” A teardrop falls down the kid’s cheek and Tony’s armored finger catches it, rapidly blinking since his face is about to do the same damn thing.

“You’re really trying to make me cry huh?” He says, an attempt at light humor, “Now I’m  _ really _ glad Steve isn’t here right now.”

“He’d just be jealous anyway. I betcha he wishes he has this."

"Probably, it's hard to read him sometimes. But for now, we have a bit of a truce…I think."

"I'm not gonna hold my breath."

"Me either," Tony says with a snort, "Alrighty, I gotta get back before Steve spontaneously combusts."

"I have barely an hour to teach Mr. Delmar everything about being Mysterio so we're both gonna have fun,” Peter says with a chuckle, “Um, can I come over afterwards, um, if that's okay?" He sticks his hand through the tunnel, giggling at this newfound ability.

"You better. There's a giant tower right when you walk in, you can't miss it."

"Oh my God, I'm so excited. Well, bye, Mr. 'Hobo', and  _ don't _ forget about my strawberry."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, a bet's a bet." Tony ruffles his hair one more time before he heads through the entrance, "See ya later you little shit."

"But I'm  _ your _ little shit."

Tony laughs the entire way through the tunnel, ignoring the weird look from Vision as he makes his way to his own game.

Because yes.

_ He is my little shit. _

-

"There ya go, kid, now we can communicate while in our own games."

The two heroes are in Tony's lab at Stark Tower, as they have been on most days for the past several months. 

And if they're not there, they can be seen hanging out in another game, or even in the billionaire's second lab in Queens.

Yes, Tony got the apartment next to the Parkers.

The place was just sitting there not being used, it was practically begging him to claim it, especially since the place is right next to his kid.

The man holds up his protege's mask, still in all its asexual glory that has since become Spider-Man's unofficial default instead of the red and blue.

Peter's time as Spider-Man has been nothing short of praise.

The replacement from Flash back to Peter was almost seamless, with many of the players remembering him from when they first plugged in.

Tony was worried about how the asexual colors were going to be received but hearing story after story from the kid talking about how excited some players were at "finally seeing some ace representation" diminished any worries.

"This is so cool!" Peter says, putting on the mask, Tony soon following with his own helmet. The tyke then walks to the other side of the lab and says through his communicator, "Testing one, two, three, 'Strawberry Ace' to 'Hobo Ace', over."

"I still hate those names, over," Tony says, laughing in spite of himself.

"Unless you come up with something better, we're sticking with them, over."

"Okay,  _ 'Spider-Ace', _ they work, now get your ass back over here, over."

“Huh, ‘Spider-Ace’, I like it.” The spiderling walks back over to their work table, “How’s it going,  _ ‘Iron Ace’?” _

“I hate that more than ‘hobo.’ Must you come up with silly names for us?”

“It’s fun! Plus, when we talk to each other, we’ll know it’s  _ each other.” _

“That doesn’t matter since I put us on a separate server,” Tony says, taking off his helmet.

“But  _ stillllll,” _ Peter starts, pulling off his mask, leaving his hair in a frizzy mess, “We use our real names all the time. C’mon, ‘Hobo Ace’  _ kinda _ fits.”

Tony sighs with a slight smirk, “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“It annoys you, why would I do that?”

“Whatever,” the billionaire says, rolling his eyes with mirth, “I’m just banking on you getting tired of this like a week in.”

“You clearly don’t know me very well -”

_ “Sooo,” _ Tony gives him an amused grin with the change of subject, “How was your date last night?”

A few blue streaks manifest across the spider-boy’s torso as he sits at the work table, his cheeks slowly turning pink, “You sound like a teenage girl -”

“Well, pardon me, but since you guys are together because of  _ me, _ the least you can do is tell  _ me _ how it went.” The older man sits on a barstool across from him,  _ “C’mon, _ I had to listen to Steve preach the same shit about us being a ‘team’, I need to hear something happy.”

“Okay, okay, it’d be mean of me to let you suffer.” Peter rolls his eyes, his cheeks darkening through his smile, “It was fun, Ned surprised me and took me to this fancy Italian place, and he didn’t even care that I got alfredo sauce on my shirt.”

“Oh, he’s a keeper for sure,” Tony says with a snort.

“Yeah,” Peter says, almost in a daze judging by the lovestruck beam he’s sporting, “He’s the best. And he doesn’t care that I don’t wanna have sex.”

“Awww, little ‘Spidey’s’ in  _ loooooove _ -”

_ “Anyway,” _ the teenager says bashfully, shaking his head to snap back to reality, “Your turn.”

“My what?”

Instead of answering, Peter digs into his backpack where he brought his suit - how he got past Vision, Tony doesn’t have a clue - and takes out half a dozen tubes of paint.

All with the asexual colors.

Black, white, and gray are there, along with three different shades of purple, ranging from lilac to something darker.

“Where’d you get these?” Tony asks, picking up one of the purple paints to inspect, “And what’s this got to do with me?”

“You’re asexual,  _ duh, _ and remember that place with all the Spider-Man suits? I got into the machine and snagged some paint.”

“And they come in these tubes?”

“Yup, there’s this conveyor belt machine thing that the paints go in and  _ boom, _ everything has color.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Yeah, isn’t it cool? So, when can we start on your suit?”

“What, these aren’t for  _ my _ suit, are they?”

_ “Yes,” _ Peter playfully rolls his eyes, “Don’t think I don’t remember, you said you wanted your suit to have ace colors like mine.”

“I was just caught up in all the colors -”

“But why do I get this feeling that you actually meant it?” Peter smiles at his mentor, in a teasing sort of way but warm all the same, “What do you say, ‘Hobo Ace’? Do you want a suit that looks like the ace flag threw up on it?”

“Gee, thanks for the mental image,” Tony says. 

He takes a few seconds to think about it. Does he really want to change his suit to something this drastic?

What will the players think? Will his teammates still not care or will they be offended and make him change it back?

Because let’s face it, Tony in an ace suit would clash against everyone else like no other.

But the idea of clashing against “America’s Angel” is also too hilarious to let slide.

The man shrugs, his decision made, “Eh, why the hell not. What’s the worst they can do, make me a villain?”

The two geniuses laugh as the mechanic brings over one of his suits, both of them brainstorming what color will go where.

Tony’s job hasn’t changed; he still plays the same traitor he’s been for the last few years.

However, the more Tony thinks about it, the more content he is…the more  _ accepted _ he is.

He’s not a hundred percent over it and he doesn’t think he ever will be. He will always be bitter about what the company did to his character.

But that’s exactly what it is.

A  _ character. _

A character who isn’t as much like him as he originally thought.

Hey, this character didn’t help save a game from irreversible ruin. Iron Man didn’t help a teenager get back his birthright.

_ Tony Stark _ did that.

He thinks back to how much he missed being a hero, missed being liked and taken seriously.

And yes, there will always be a part of him that lingers with that wish.

But one thing the man had forgotten up until everything with Mysterio: 

Being a hero is  _ exhausting. _

So Tony has now accepted it and willingly lets Steve take all the praise - let’s face it, Captain America always had the bulk of the attention anyway - while he watches from the sidelines, maybe even eating popcorn with Peter. That sounds much more relaxing than constantly worrying about appeasing the fans.

And even the fans Iron Man still has, they are the fans that have stuck with him through thick and thin, no matter where the manufacturer went with his character.

If those people still like him, that’s got to count for something.

Shit, it still blows his mind that a sixteen-year-old not only likes him but has become one of his best friends, someone who he always gets excited to see after the arcade closes for the day.

_ And if this kid likes me. _

_ Then how bad of a guy can I be? _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I'm also on Tumblr @baloobird


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